Bug Wife

by little big pony

Rating: mature
Tags: Romance, Porn, Queen Chrysalis, Sex, Human, Anon, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 53683

There is a pony in Anon's kitchen. She is covered in chocolate, wild-eyed and sweaty. She's also covered in holes for some reason. She insists that she's his wife, and won't take no for an answer.

There is a pony in Anon's kitchen. She is covered in chocolate, wild-eyed and sweaty. She's also covered in holes for some reason. The mare insists that she's his wife, and won't take no for an answer.

Honestly, after appear in a world of magic and talking horses he was shocked that things still could surprise him.

Warning: Bug X Human Romance

Artist is TJPone

Published 2024-03-13 22:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2024-03-22 21:14:45 UTC

Chapter Nine

“Yesssss~”

Love and lust filled the air, thick as honey. The room was stifling, reeking of sex. Clothing, blankets, and pillows littered the bedroom floor.

Sweat poured from Chrysalis as her husband pounded into her. Each time she felt that wonderful mushroom head forcing itself into her depths to breach her cervix it made her body pleasantly tingle. He was being so rough with her; no doubt a result of her pumping out the pheromones as well as a potion she had gotten from the town’s local shaman for just such an occasion.

Anon was grunting like some half-crazed boar. There were bite marks on his neck, shoulders, arms, legs. He had scratches all over his back. He was covered in sweat and cum, exhausted. Chrysalis hadn’t allowed him to leave their bedroom for more than a few minutes in the last two days. Sleep had been sparse, as had rest, but even so he was going above and beyond her expectations.

Chrysalis mewled as she felt his teeth sink into her neck. The sound of the bed creaking and the wet, meaty smacking of their hips coming together overwhelmed the queen for several moments. Belly heaving, she bit her bottom lip. Her legs, wrapped loosely around his waist while she fucked her silly tightened, driving him savagely forward. Her back arched as she felt him fill her fully.

“I love you. Iloveyou! IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou--”

The world spun as an orgasm tore through her. Twitching and jerking, she allowed her tongue to lol out of her mouth, licking her husband’s cheek. Anon immediately turned, forcing her into a kiss.

Her legs loosened around him once again, but Anon stayed right where he was, humping right into her womb. She could feel him twitching. He was going to cum, flood her with his fertile seed. Make his cute little wife a mother.

Chrysalis let out a hiss, her green eyes flashing as he began pumping load after load into her. There was so much it spilled around his cock, coating her mound and legs. Anon continued humping through his orgasm, his eyes unfocused, seemingly every muscle straining in his body. She could tell right away this load wasn’t as large as the last few had been. It seemed as if her loverboy was finally running on empty.

Anon made an incomprehensible noise. All of the tension left his body, and he fell on top of her. As always, he was heavy, but she didn’t mind his weight. She ran her fingers through his sweaty, wet mess of hair, making sure that he was still inside of her. She was definitely pregnant by now, but she didn’t want his seed spilling out just yet. It never hurt to be careful.

While her husband tried to catch his breath, she took in as much of his love as she could, gorging herself on the emotion. If either had been in the right state of mind, they would have noticed that the Changeling’s form had grown a few inches taller because of it, and her curves had become even more noticeable. Even if she would have noticed, it was doubtful that she’d be able to control herself.

There was no harm in splurging and eating more than she should have just this once. She had all the love she could ever want after all. Besides, she was going to be a mother soon; might as well celebrate it.

She cooed, nosing her husband’s throat. She basked in her afterglow, while Anon’s ragged breathing quickly turned to snoring. It looked as if he had finally given up the ghost. She’d let the poor boy rest for a little while before they went back at it. Ten or so minutes should be more than enough.

A sound mingled in with her hyoo-mans snores. At first, she could barely hear it, but the sound grew and grew until it was all she could hear. Someone was knocking--or more pounding at this point--at her front door.

Chrysalis frowned. Who in the name of the Thousand-Faced God was knocking on her front door? The queen wracked her brain, trying to remember whether she had somepony coming over, or needing to go to some sort of event, or whether she had offered to help with some nonsense. While her usually unparalleled mind was somewhat dulled by all the binge-eating and fucking she had been doing, she was almost positive that she was free this whole weekend.

She considered just ignoring the trespasser. Let them knock until they grew bored and left. If she did that though, they might end up scuffing her nice door, and she had just gotten Anon to repaint that last week. There was also the chance that if she didn’t see to the visitor a nosey pony might try to get into the house to see if they were alright.

A low growl escaped Chrysalis’s throat. Carefully, she rolled her unconscious husband off her and got out of bed. She walked across her bedroom with jelly-legs, cursing and grumbling under her breath.

“I swear if this is a salespony…”

Halfway down her steps, she realized she was still naked and covered in fluids. She looked down at her bitemark-covered and spit slathered tits. They’d stop their knocking real quick if she opened the door like this she bet.

Still grumbling, she snapped her fingers, and a bathrobe appeared in her hands. She put the thing on as she walked down her steps, tying it loosely closed just as she came to the door and opened it.

Just as she was about to verbally tear into the visitor, she saw that it was Princess Twilight Sparkle. The usually annoyingly cheerful alicorn was nervous. The sour emotion seemed to come from her pores as she looked up at her. The sight was just enough to give the queen pause.

“Princess Twilight? Is something the matter?” she asked.

“Chryssi, it’s good to see you,” the mare said with a forced smile. “I actually came here to talk to you and Anon. It’s important.”

“Unfortunately, my husband isn’t in a state to talk,” Chrysalis plainly replied.

Twilight blinked. “Oh. Did something happen? If you need my--”

“He isn’t injured. I haven’t been able to see him really during Zap Apple season, so I decided the two of us needed some alone time.”

The alicorn just stared at her. The queen let out a “harrumph”.

“Twilight Sparkle, I was in the middle of fucking my husband when you knocked on my door. I really would like to get back to it, so if you could tell me what’s bothering you I’d appreciate it.”

She watched as a blush exploded across Twilight’s face. She began stammering, taking a few hasty steps backward.

“I, um… I didn’t-- What I mean t-to say, I wasn’t--” she said, her eyes darting everywhere but where the queen stood as she began trotting in place.

Normally, Chrysalis would have squatted down to Twilight’s eye level. She had noticed it always seemed to calm anxious ponies down. If she did that now though, she was confident that she’d make a mess of her nice floor, which would end up making the mare even more hysterical. Sure, it might have been a little funny seeing her so flustered, but she did have a hyoo-man who’s back she needed to continue blowing out.

“Twilight,” she said, putting as much authority in her voice as she could.

Twilight stopped her trotting, her eyes wide. “Yes ma’am?” she squeaked, bright red.

“You are here for a reason. Something important you wanted to tell me, correct?” Chrysalis beckoned her with a hand. “Please do so.”

The embarrassment that had been coming off the mare in waves suddenly ceased. That worry once again appeared.

“Have you been with Anon since he came back from the harvest?” she asked, still not looking at her.

“I can assure you he hasn’t left my sight.”

“Has he acted off? Maybe not his usual self? Even in some small way that you might have just barely noticed?”

“Not at all. He has been his normal, regular self.”

“Has any strange pony come around your house? Somepony you might not have seen before? She might have looked like me, but taller, much more emaciated. Her horn would have been crooked, and she’d have holes all over her body?”

It took considerable effort for the queen to maintain a straight face. Everything around her sort of disappeared in the background as she stared at the little mare.

“I… I don’t believe so,” she said carefully, trying to sound confused yet calm, even while panic was beginning to make her stomach twist.

Twilight seemed to visibly relax at her words. “Good. Very good. If you do see somepony like that, or somepony in town, or Anon, or even myself acting strangely, I want you to contact the authorities. We just discovered that a very dangerous villain wasn’t contained as we had originally thought. Her name is Chrysalis.”

“Queen Chrysalis.”

“...Pardon?”

Chrysalis coughed. “Chrysalis you say? What did she do, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She tried taking over Equestria not once but twice,” Twilight explained. “The first time she coltnapped my sister-in-law Princess Cadence and impersonated her. The second, she and a group of others were able to take Discord’s power, and they used it to attack us. She’s what we call a Changeling; a shapeshifter that feeds on emotion.”

Chrysalis nodded, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. From Twilight’s emotions, she was almost positive that the mare didn’t suspect a thing. The thought did somewhat ease her fear, if just a little.

“I see. So she’s dangerous then? She must have been awfully clever to escape whatever you tried to do to her.”

“She’s very dangerous, and she could be anywhere. That’s why I came here to check on you two.”

Despite the situation, the queen couldn’t help but feel touched. Sure, she was the one this ridiculous alicorn was after, but it was the thought that counted.

“Well, I appreciate it, and Anon will too when he wakes up,” she lied. “Is there anything the two of us need to do about this, Princess?”

“Just keep an eye out like I said,” Twilight told her. “As we speak, I have the guard searching with some Changelings King Thorax hoof-picked--”

It was difficult not to hiss at the traitor’s name, but Chrysalis was able to hold it in.

“--we’ll find her eventually. She’ll make a mistake, try to attack me and the girls, or one of the other princesses.”

“Well, I hope that doesn’t happen.”

“Me either but… well, from what I’ve seen from her, she’s not the type to fade away and disappear. She’ll rear her head, and we’ll be ready for her.”

Twilight nodded, as if trying to reassure herself.

“I’m glad to see you and Anon are alright. For some reason, I feared the worst when I saw that she was gone. I’m sorry to take you away from… what you were doing, Chryssi. I’ll head off now. Like I said though--”

“If Anon or myself see anything odd we’ll make sure to let you know,” Chrysalis said with a nod. “If there’s a villain running around I think I’ll start walking the foals back to their houses whenever they come here.”

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d be happy to send a pair of guards along with them each day,” Twilight said casually. “Because of this discovery, I decided to bring a small garrison of guards into town to keep an eye on things.”

“Motherfuc--I mean, my goodness!” she forced out, smacking a hand against her chest a few times. “I’m sorry, princess. I must be catching something. There won’t be any need for that I think. At least as long as you’re sure this Chrysalis person isn’t currently in town.”

The princess gave her a funny look, then nodded. “Well, as long as you’re sure, but if you ever do want them escorted don’t hesitate to come to the castle, alright?”

“Of course. Get home safely, your highness.”

Chrysalis watched as Twilight trotted off her front porch and took off into the air. Once she was nothing more than a speck in the distance, the Changeling closed the door and locked it. She leaned against the frame, half-expecting the house to be surrounded by stallions in golden armor.

She had always feared that her ruse with her double would be found out. Those blasted ponies could never help themselves in trying to “reform” villains. She had been hoping it would have been in a few years, far too late for them to have a hope of stopping her from taking over Equestria a third time, but it seemed as if she wouldn’t have that luxury. Twilight Sparkle and the others might not suspect her now, but there was a chance they could in the future. All they’d need to do was think over how strange another human appearing out of nowhere would be, and there was a good chance she’d be found out.

Running away was no option. Anon did love her, and if she really pushed him he’d go wherever she wanted, but he was happy where he was. The ponies here were somewhat tolerable, and the little ones really did need the extra help with their studies. She also hadn’t yet fully mastered the art of cooking, and she was just starting to dig out the third level of her new hive. Of course, her and Anon were also going to the Mayor’s office for their little wedding. Rarity was already making her a dress, and the foals were excited to be flower colts and fillies for them. She wasn’t going to just pack up and leave, not after everything she had managed to build!

The queen took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes.

She honestly didn’t know why she was so worried. So what if they knew she was running around? They’d still have to find her. Ponies, as a general rule, were morons, and her traitorous ex-subjects were just as stupid. She had trained many of them incorrectly on purpose. As a joke.

There was nothing to worry about really. They’d search for her for a few weeks, maybe a month or two, then give up. She’d be forgotten, which would allow her to completely surprise them with her soon-to-be hyoo-man and Changeling hybrid army. Actually, the longer she thought about it, this could work entirely in her favor. Maybe she could leave some false evidence somewhere a few towns over, have the Elements and the guard running all over Equestria until they were ragged.

Everything was fine. She’d be fine. Anon would be fine. Everything was under her control.

Eventually, she was able to slow her pounding heart. Her hands trembled, but she did her best to ignore them. Looking down, she noticed she had made a puddle of cum on the floor below her. The sight, just for a moment, caused her to forget her fear.

“A waste,” she murmured with a click of her tongue.

With a thought, she cleaned the cum from the floor. She then turned, and glanced at the steps. Now, she could have let the alicorn’s interruption ruin her day and everything that she had planned for it, or she could walk back up those steps and keep screwing her husband silly. A weaker queen would wallow and bemoan her poor luck. She was no weak queen.

She stood a little straighter as she marched up the stairs and into her bedroom. Anon was right where she had left him, sprawled out onto their bed. He was completely motionless. Were it not for the fact that she could hear him snoring it would have been difficult to tell that he was even alive.

Chrysalis stopped just before passing through her doorway to stare at this man. This strange, sweaty, awkward creature that she was going to marry in a few days. She examined him for several moments before deciding that he hadn’t been sexually dominated enough for her liking.

She snapped her fingers, and her magic pulled the hyoo-man to the edge of the bed. Kneeling down between his spread open legs, Chrysalis tied her hair into a loose ponytail.

Whatever sort of dream Anon had found himself in abruptly ended as he felt an impossibly long tongue coil around his cock. As that happened, he also felt a pair of large breasts plop down between his thighs, just waiting to receive his dick once it got hard. The tongue guided his poor, abused member into a warm, wet mouth. Then the suction began.

Anon let out a sound like a dying moose.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~

“Captain, please report.”

The guard across the table saluted, his face a mask of grim duty. “Your majesty, we found a victim of some sort of mind altering magic. She’s a gryphon; one of the business owners that works the carts here.”

Twilight slowly nodded. She had seen the hen often in the marketplace. She sold meat products if she recalled.

“Is she alright? Has she been harmed in anyway?”

“I have medics thoroughly examining her as we speak, ma’am.”

“Good. Was she aware of what happened to her? Does she remember a face, a voice, anything like that?”

“Not a thing. Whoever cast the magic on her made sure they wouldn’t be discovered.”

Twilight placed the mug of tea she had been holding down. This had to be the work of Chrysalis, she felt it in her bones. Who else would do this to a random cart seller in the middle of a backwater town?

But why this particular gryphon? Not many gryphons came to Ponyville, so she did stand out. Was she somewhere nearby, puppeting the poor hen for some nefarious purpose? Could the entire town be in some sort of danger? Chrysalis was a devious creature. This could have been nothing more than a distraction; something for them to focus on while she went off to do Celestia knows what.

She frowned, staring down at her tea cup, watching the steam rise up from the warm liquid.

They had thought the Changeling had been imprisoned in stone for months. Months. There was no telling what the evil mare had been up to. The only good thing that came out of this whole mess was that they now knew she was free and they could do something about it.

Twilight already had her friends checked out by the Changelings, and she had quickly explained the situation. Rainbow and Applejack wanted to go rushing all through Equestria trying to find her, but Rarity insisted that there was no need. Chrysalis would slip up and reveal herself in time. If they tried smoking her out she would just hide and emerge at a later date. The best thing that they could do was keep an eye open and be prepared. Twilight would have preferred that the ex-queen be found and captured as soon as possible, but she couldn’t help but agree with her friend.

Chrysalis wouldn’t be able to help herself. She would try attacking Equestria again. Even without her horde of Changelings, she was still a danger, but if they played this right they might be able to catch her off guard. It would be easy to make a statue to replace the queen’s snarling likeness in the gardens. If she didn’t know they knew she was running around, they might be able to catch her before she hurt anypony. At the very least, if she tried kidnapping any of them she’d be in for a big surprise.

The princess leaned back in her chair, her frown deepening. She thought about Chryssi, and the foals that went to her and Anon’s home almost every weekday. Those two were so outside of town that they could be attacked and nopony would be the wiser. Neither really knew about Changelings either as far as Twilight could remember. Chryssi had her magic, but Chrysalis was a cunning and vicious creature, and if she were to attack while the foals were at their house…

Twilight turned toward the guardscolt. “Captain. I’d like to double the guard here in Ponyville.”

The guard raised an eyebrow. “You believe she’ll attack here and not Canterlot, ma’am?”

“Unless she somehow managed to find a massive army in just a few months I believe Canterlot is somewhat safe,” Twilight said, picking her tea cup back up and taking a small sip of her drink. “No, I think Chrysalis wants nothing more right now than to get back at us. More specifically my student Starlight. She is the one that brought down her hive and turned the Changelings against her. She wouldn’t let that go, even if it would be smarter to just disappear. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling she is somewhere close by. Very close.”

The guard said nothing for a few moments, before nodding. “I’ll send orders to the barracks right away. Don’t worry, your highness, we will detain her.”

Twilight sat a little straighter. “Yes. Yes we will, and we’ll make sure its her before she’s imprisoned this time.”

Chapter One

The power of the Elements of Harmony is a mighty thing indeed. It is the very power of magic itself, able to contain gods, dispel ancient and powerful spirits, and even drive evil from one’s heart. For those on the receiving end of this power, there is no way to overpower it. The best one can do is wait until its magic eventually fades, which can take thousands of years, or, far more preferably, they not be around to be hit with a beam of rainbow at all.

Chrysalis, now exiled queen of the Changelings, had rotted in the dungeons in Canterlot with that child pegasus and the centaur for days. They were to wait at the princess’ leisure for a trial. There was no hope for any sort of leniency; these ponies were pathetically weak, it was true, but even they couldn’t forgive the things that the three of them had done. This trial was simply a formality, and the end result would not be good for any of them.

Thankfully, the ex-queen was no fool. One did not keep one’s eggs in just one basket, especially in the precarious position that she had found herself in since her failed invasion of Canterlot. Months ago, she had supplanted one of the few remaining Lings loyal to her into the guard. One night, said Ling had managed to sneak themselves into the dungeons and switch places with her.

When Princess Twilight Sparkle and her blasted friends had turned Golly and Tirek into statues with the power of the Elements, Chrysalis had been miles away from Equestria’s capital.

It had been rough going for the next few weeks, the Changeling being forced, once again, into the Everfree. Those weeks turned to months as she waited for her deceit to be discovered, her gaze skyward in search of squadrons of golden-armored pegasi searching for her. Many nights she would lie awake in whatever hole she managed to find in that forest, fear and anger warring in her belly.

They had been so close. She had been so close. Equestria should have fallen, she should have been all powerful and feared as she had been.

Damn that child. Damn the centaur. Damn the elements and ponies and all the rest!

It would have been easy to languish in the Everfree, losing her mind as she had all that time after losing her hive. A lesser creature would have, but not her. As painful and utter humiliating as this defeat was, she was yet free. Freedom meant she could plan. Planning meant that there was a chance to get back everything she lost and so much more. So, so much more.

Love was a thing in short supply in this forest, even more so since her last stay here, but Chrysalis was able to navigate through it, dodging the deadly beasts, the cursed swamps, the blighted ruins and places of dark magic until she made her way to the closest town available. Ponyville; the home of the Bearers of Harmony themselves.

This was where everything would begin again. The place where she would claw her way from the muck to where she truly belonged.

Starving, weak, and weary, she made her way out of the treeline. Months ago, when she was a resident in the forest, she had made sure to thoroughly map the entire area around this town, looking for escape routes, hiding places, and places to attack. To her surprise, she came upon a cobblestone road that hadn’t been there before. It led up to a small hill that hadn’t been there before either, and seated upon said hill was a house..

Chrysalis took a few steps toward the home. She could sense that magic was heavy here, as if some great spell or work had been recently completed. Were she of right mind, just that fact would have made her keep a wide berth of the place, but as the winds changed she could smell it. There, somewhere in that odd house, was love. Love that she very desperately needed.

So, making sure to keep low to the ground and her eyes darting around to scan for any threats or traps, the ex-queen made her way up the path.

~_~_~_~_~_~

“--Now, again, if you need anything from me, please don’t hesitate to come to the castle, Anon. My door will always be open for you. I mean anything at all. Even if I’m not there, Spike or Starlight should be there and able to help.”

It had been an interesting few weeks for Anonymous. One minute, he had been sitting in his living room, just trying to relax after a long day of work, and the next he and his entire house were in an entirely different reality.

Things had been touch-and-go for a little while. A concerned pony had called the guard, and it ended with around two hundred heavily armed stallions surrounding the small hill that his house sat on, but thankfully things had turned out well, all things considered.

He had been taken up to this nation’s capital. Both he, his house, and the land it stood on was thoroughly examined by a lot of smart colorful little talking horses. Some of the tests he could have done without, but at the very least they were able to figure out he was safe to be in this reality, but not really much more. As of now, they were only able to guess why he was here. A spell gone wrong, a whim of a God, an issue with leylines, or just plain bad luck; such is the way of magic and fate.

It wasn’t all that bad being in a new world, all things considered. He was now free from all those loans he had taken out to fix up his home, which was a weight off his shoulders. The talking ponies hadn’t tried eating him like he thought they would when he first saw them as well. In fact, they were a remarkably kind and generous group of critters. After they had found out he wasn’t dangerous, they had taken him in with open hooves. Everything he had asked for and needed was given without question. Every pony that he had spoken to had been there to listen and be helpful in any way that they could, from the princesses to guards to the random ponies he met walking around the castle.

Not only had they given him the land where his house had ended up, they had connected his house to the local water lines and even their rudimentary electric system, free of charge. The local farmers had also come over to help repair any damages that had happened while coming here, again without any money passing hands. The farmers, the Apples, the Carrots, and the Flowers, had even seemed offended when he offered to pay them back. He didn’t know if all of this kindness was because of his unique position, or if ponies were like this to everyone they met. Whatever the case, he was supremely grateful.

Both and he and Twilight were making their way up the cobblestone path that led to his house. He was glad that it had made the trip along with his home; his granddad had put it in when he was little, and it would have been weird not to see it anymore. Just before they were about to step up onto the front porch, Twilight stopped.

“Well, thanks for all of your help today,” she said, looking up at him with a great big smile. “I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with all the questions.”

“You were fine,” Anon assured. “Whenever you have any more, just come and let me know. That or if you just want to poke around the house. When my grandpa was still around he liked to collect things, so there’s plenty of human stuff for you to look at.”

A look of glee flashed across the alicorn’s face. She attempted to hide her enthusiasm, not quite managing it.

“I will take you up on that soon. Not too soon though. Like I’ve been saying, I don’t want you to get overwhelmed. Please, take things at your own pace.”

“I will. Hey, would you like to come inside for something to drink?”

“Thank you, but not tonight,” Twilight said, stifling a yawn. “It’s late, and Spike gets grumpy if I’m not home before bedtime.”

Smiling, Anon knelt down and gave the little pony a hug. She was startled for a moment, but quickly returned it.

“Thanks for everything, Twilight. I mean it. Really. I don’t know what I’d do if you folks weren’t all so nice.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Twilight replied with a smile. “Also, before you go in, some of the ponies in town got together and got you something we thought you’d like.”

Pulling back from the hug, Anon looked at the mare curiously. “Got me something? Aw, you guys really didn’t need to.”

“Think of it as a welcome to Ponyville gift from all of us to our newest resident.”

Anon felt a rush of emotion well up in his chest, and he had to blink away the beginnings of tears. All that they had done for him and they were still giving? He was going to have to work hard to pay them back.

“What’d you get me?” he asked, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve.

“You’ll see when you get inside,” Twilight told him. “I hope you don’t mind, but we let ourselves in and put it in the kitchen.”

“I don’t mind at all. You folks are always welcome here.”

With a smile and a wave, the princess turned and made her way back down the pathway. Anon stood there, making sure she got onto the dirt road that led back into town. Once she completely disappeared out of sight, he made his way around to the back of his house. He could have just walked through his home to get into his kitchen, but he was just so used to walking through the back. Besides, he didn’t want to track any dirt over his nice, clean floors.

He kicked his shoes off and put them in a bin he had by the door, then opened said door and stepped inside. He flicked on the lights and there, seated at his kitchen table, a pile of empty wrappers sitting in front of them, was a pony. He had seen a lot of ponies since finding himself in Equestria, and he had never seen one like this.

They were as big as one of the larger alicorns. Their horn was crooked and jagged, and they had a pair of insect-like wings. It didn’t look like they had any sort of fur, instead it looked like some sort of carapace. Strangely enough, they also seemed to have holes all over their body.

The pony, who had their muzzle deep into a box of what appeared like candies, froze as he stepped into his kitchen. One green serpent eye flicked toward him, wide with surprise. Anon closed the door behind him, confused but not too terribly concerned.

“Hello there?”

~_~_~_~_~_~

The faint trace of love that Chrysalis had felt was, of course, a box of hoofmade chocolates. There was never a noticeable amount of love in them, meaning one could need to eat a lot of them to get any sort of nourishment. Normally, they’d be beneath a queen like herself, but weeks without a decent food source meant that beggars couldn’t be choosers. She didn’t have the magic to unlock any of the doors, much to her chagrin. Thankfully, the back door had been unlocked.

She had been so famished that she had barely checked to see if there was anypony home, immediately going for the chocolates that she had found in a basket seated on the kitchen table. The queen ate like only the starving could, tearing through a box in a matter of minutes. She ate the next box just as quickly, along with the box after that. The love she was able to absorb, as little as it was, was also enough to bring her to tears. She had just about finished that third box when the kitchen light was flicked on.

It was when Chrysalis realized her mistake. In her eagerness to fill her belly, she had neglected to keep an eye out for the home’s owner. Said owner was currently staring at her, completely surprised and utterly defenseless.

As she stared back, she realized just how big the creature was. The thing must have been easily twice her size. It looked, for all the world, like a flat-faced minotaur, though a tad skinnier and wearing a ridiculous amount of clothing.

“Hello there?” the creature said, taking a half-step toward her. “Who might you be?”

Chrysalis couldn’t feel any hostility coming from the creature, but if it was actually a minotaur that could change at the flip of a coin. Such beasts were temperamental at best, and she was an intruder. She didn’t have the magic to bring it down, nor did she have the physical strength. Even with the chocolates she had just eaten, she didn’t know if she had it in her to run. Her mind raced, and she uttered the first thing that came to mind.

“I’m your… wife?”

The queen had lived a very long life that was spent scheming and plotting. She had been the ruin of dynasties and nations with just a few words and a disguise. She knew, at a glance, what would break even the most steadfast creatures. She was the architect of lies, with plans within plans; the smartest, most powerful, most devious Changeling to ever exist.

Never in her life had she uttered something so baffling stupid.

If she had heard one of her infiltrators try such a thing, they’d be reassigned to the hatchling pits to watch the grubs if they were lucky. It was just so… stupid. Unfathomably ridiculous.

As soon as she had processed her own words her shoulders sagged. She sat up in the overly large chair she was seated on, accepting whatever fate was now in store for her after that shameful display. She could only hope when the creature began ripping her apart it wouldn’t remember just what she had said.

She braced herself for a bout of uncontrollable rage. What she received, shockingly, was concern.

“My… wife?”

The creature pulled one of the chairs back and took a seat. It stared at her with a scrunched up fact, as if she were some great puzzle.

“I knew you ponies were friendly, but giving a guy his own wife?” he mumbled. “I thought I was getting a plate of cookies or something…”

For a good long while, Chrysalis could only stare at the creature with an open mouth. That was not supposed to work. In fact, she had taught her lings over and over and over again never to do something so stupid. As she struggled, feeling as if her world had been turned upside down, the creature leaned forward.

“So um,” he said, scratching his chin. “Twilight and the town set you up with me?”

Chrysalis forced herself to nod. “Yes. I am your wife now,” she said, trying not to wince.

The creature’s concern grew. It sat back in its chair.

“Miss, I don’t want to seem rude, but that’s a lot to drop on a guy as soon as he walks through the door,” it said, eyes narrowing. “This isn’t one of those weird things where you were forced to do this, right? I’m fine with weird cultures, and you ponies have been really great to me, but that might be a bridge too far.”

It was difficult to believe that there was a creature truly this gullible. Were she not able to read its emotions, the queen would have sworn this was a trap of some kind. Still, she wasn’t one to curse good luck.

“I can assure you that this was entirely my decision,” Chrysalis said, giving him her best smile. “Tell me, do you know what exactly I am?”

“A… pony?”

The Changeling narrowed her eyes slightly, and she fought the urge to express her distaste at the notion. “Yes. I am a… pony. moreover , I’m a very special pony, which is why I’m not surprised that you don’t know what I am. You see, I’m a very powerful…”

Her face scrunched up in thought. If she had no idea what this creature was, there was a good chance it didn’t know what she was. The fact that it hadn’t run screaming or tried attacking her the moment it had laid eyes upon her gave stock to that theory, so she decided to see how far its ignorance went.

“...I am a love pony. It is a very rare tribe. You see, love ponies travel all over the world to find somepony that will give them all the love that they require to rule the wo--” She cleared her throat. “--to marry and live happily ever after with.”

She may have laid it on a little too thick, or this critter wasn’t quite as dumb as she thought, because she could feel some suspicion mix in with its emotions.

“And how do you know that I’m your soulmate or whatever,” it said. “I just got here a few weeks ago. I mean, I wasn’t even living on this planet.”

“You underestimate the power of my tribe, creature,” Chrysalis said, pointing a hoof at him. “I used a very complex and powerful spell that told me that you were to be my husband.I came here with the help of Twilight Sparkle and the citizens of Ponyville, but I found you on my own.”

She narrowed her eyes to slits, doing her best to look upset.

“To be frank, I’m insulted that you’d doubt the abilities of my tribe.”

To her relief, the creature’s suspicion disappeared, replaced with even more worry.

“I don’t mean to be rude, miss,” he insisted. “It’s just… I mean, it’s strange. A lot to take in. You did break into my house.”

“For love.”

“But--”

“Love.”

He took a deep breath. His shoulders sagged. Chrysalis continued to glare at him, shocked at just how good her abilities of deceit were. No creature on the planet would have so tactfully navigated such a conversation. Truly, she was without equal.

“I am going to be your wife,” she said, in a tone that she prayed would broach no argument. “In fact, as far as you are concerned, I am your wife, and as your wife I’d like you to come here and give me some love.”

“Give love?” the creature asked, clearly exasperated.

“Yes. Love ponies feed on positive emotions like love. That’s why love is in our name. You might not feel love for me yet, but I should still get something from a hug.”

Frustration mixed with the confusion and worry welling around in the creature as it stared at her. Chrysalis didn’t break eye contact, beckoning it with a wave of the hoof. Slowly, it rose up. They both stared at each other in silence for what felt like minutes before, slowly, the creature lifted up its arms, leaned down, and wrapped them around her. As it began awkwardly patting her back, Chrysalis could feel it.

It wasn’t love, more like the beginning of a positive emotion that didn’t know what it was going to be yet. Letting out a coo, the queen wrapped her hooves around the creature’s waist as best as she could, gave its neck a nuzzle, and began to feed. After so long of being hungry and weak, feeling real emotion filled her with strength. Her grip around it tightened the more emotion she drained from it, making sure it wouldn’t be able to get away.

While she could have drained the thing until it was nothing more than a husk, Chrysalis decided to control herself. Draining it until it was unconscious would be more than adequate. After that, she’d restrain it, dominate its mind, and she’d have herself a servant, a source of love, and a temporary place to stay.

“There we are… just let me have it all…”

She drank long and deep from the well of the creature’s emotions, keeping an eye out for the well to shrink so as not to overly harm it. She waited, and waited, her eyebrows slowly furrowing.

The creature just continued patting her back. It didn’t seem troubled, or overly burdened. In fact, it didn’t even seem to notice what she was doing. She drained enough emotion to kill a pony, then enough to knock a fully grown dragon to its knees. She drank until, incredibly, she couldn’t drink anymore.

Changeling queens weren’t supposed to get full. She had never even come close to it, not even after feeding on the love powerhouse that had been Shining Armor. She broke the hug abruptly, staring at the creature as if it had grown a second head.

It blinked. “What?”

Chapter Two

The rest of the night went fairly quickly. Through a barrage of questions, Chrysalis was able to gather some useful information from this creature.

His name was Anonymous. He was something called a hyoo-man. He had recently come from another world to the edge of this country bumpkin little town. Being a recent arrival to this world meant that he knew next to nothing about it. In turn, she was forced to answer questions herself, but now she was of a much clearer mind. She was able to navigate and turn each question with ease. He was still thoroughly confused about this whole business, but she had convinced him to house her for the time being.

He had given her some blankets and pillows and set up a strange device he called an “air mattress” for her to sleep on when she was finally too tired to answer any more questions. When she had left the Everfree, the thought of sleeping in a bed, no matter how odd, would have been an utter delight, but now, after the feeding of a lifetime, she felt as if she could pick up a mountain and throw it over the horizon.

Sleep could wait. She needed to learn about this alien creature that had what felt like an unlimited amount of emotion inside of him.

It took somewhat longer than she would have liked, but this Anonymous finally went to sleep. It was a simple thing to use her magic to unlock his door and stroll into his bedroom. What she found was a simple colt’s room, though admittedly enlarged for the hyoo-mans size. Sparse, though somehow still slightly messy, with posters on the walls and a carpet that could have used a thorough scrubbing.

The first thing that she had attempted to do was dominate the giant’s mind. She was not going to let something like him go, and she knew he was still wary of her, despite her best effort. This was the easiest and most efficient thing for her to do, and what should have been an utter breeze with the power she was now able to wield. As she cast the spell however, she found, to her surprise and dismay, that it had absolutely no effect. His mind was unyielding and unchangeable, like a boulder. It passed through him and quickly drained away, no matter how much magic she poured into his skull. It was much the same for the paralysis spell she attempted on him, and when she tried to just hold him down with her magic the effort made her head spin. The queen tried spell after spell to at least subdue the creature, and time after time it had little to no effect.

After a few more spells, she was forced to concede. It was then she found herself in a strange position. She had before her what any Changeling Queen would have killed for; a singular, unlimited food source, but she didn’t have a way of safely controlling and containing it. There was a chance she could overpower this Anonymous, but that would risk undue injury or worse. Staying here for any length of time also meant that some pathetic pony might discover her, and if that were to happen she would be hunted down.

For any other Ling it might have seemed a nigh impossible challenge, but for her it would be a simple matter. All she would need to do was convince him that she would be his ideal “wife”. She was confident that it would be a simple matter, and after that she would be able to plan her revenge on Equestria at her leisure. Making her way out of the bedroom, she laid on her strange bed, her mind buzzing with plots and plans

~_~_~_~_~_~

Like most mornings, Anon found himself up before the sun peeked through his window. Normally, he would have hopped out of bed the second his eyes opened to get the day started. Just lying around under the covers was wasting time, his grandfather had always said, and you didn’t have time to waste. Even so, this particular morning he could himself staring up at the ceiling, left to his thoughts.

If last night hadn’t been some weird dream, he currently had a horse sleeping in his living room that insisted she was going to be his wife. He had been able to roll with the punches pretty well since coming to this magical world, but this curveball had really thrown him for a loop.

Twilight and the whole town had sent this love horse gal his way? Why in the world would they do that? Did the other princesses know? Would something bad happen to the love horse if he refused? Would something bad happen to him?

He honestly had no idea how these ponies would take a rejection. For all he knew not giving this mare a chance would be a grave insult. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the folks that had done so much for him already.

Maybe this was like that Jeramiah Johnson movie that his pap had liked so much, but with horses instead of people? He hoped not, especially with how that movie ended.

A sigh escaped Anon’s lips. Realizing that the issue wasn’t going to go away by itself, and not wanting to be rude to his unexpected guest, he forced himself out of bed. Maybe he’d be able to get some more answers from the weird pony this morning. With answers, he might be able to figure out what to do.

After a quick shower, a shave, and after brushing his teeth, he made his way to the living room. His guest wasn’t there, though the pillows and blankets that he had left for her had been neatly stacked on top of his air mattress. A sound came from his kitchen, and walking over and poking his head in the room he saw her sitting at his kitchen table, two mugs of what smelled like coffee sitting in front of her. She was looking down at an open book, her eyes scanning the pages.

He cleared his throat. “Um, good morning.”

“Good morning,” the pony answered, still looking at the book. “I took the liberty of making you some coffee.”

“Oh, thank you. You mind if I take a seat?” Anon asked, feeling just a little silly that he had asked for permission to sit at his own table.

She looked up, giving him a fang-filled smile. “Of course, dear.”

Anon, doing his best not to make a face at the word “dear”, made his way over. He took one of the cups of coffee and sat on the opposite side of her.

“So… whatcha reading?”

“One of your books I found in your living room,” she replied.

“One of my books?” Anon said, surprised. “You can read english? I had Twilight look at one of my books and she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”

The mare let out a snort. “It is very different from Equestrian script, but this is similar to Goatish. It’s not an exact match, but I believe I’ll have little trouble learning this… english.”

“...Goats read and write here?”

“Do they not where you’re from?”

“No. No they do not.”

Anon leaned forward. “So, are all love ponies good with languages then?” he asked.

The mare’s ears perked up. She looked up at him for a moment, then back at the book.

“Yes. We have a natural ability for writing and languages, among other things,” she said with a small smile. “It helps in case our future husbands aren’t Equestrian. Even if you happened to not have spoken Equish, or any language on Equus, I'd no doubt be able to learn it in a week or so.”

“Huh,” Anon said, taking a sip of his coffee.

He nearly jumped, looking down at his mug. It was easily the best coffee that he had ever had.

The mare turned the page, then looked up at him. “I can tell that you still have some doubts about me, Anonymous,” she said. “That is disappointing, but understandable. That being said, starting over in a new world can be difficult. Tell me, has the princess spoken to you about your ability to return home?”

Anon kept his gaze glued onto his mug. “I…, um yes, she did. As far as she and the other princesses can tell, what happened to me was a one-way trip.”

He didn’t see it, but the mare flashed a triumphant grin before settling into a more neutral expression.

“The princess and the ponies in town might be there for you, but they will not be able to provide the support that you truly need. I know I’ll be able to provide you that support, whatever that might entail. I can be there and do things that a normal pony wouldn’t be able to.”

Anon looked up from his coffee. “What do you mean?”

The mare grabbed her cup. Not taking her eyes off him, she took a small sip.

“What if I told you I could turn myself into a hyoo-man female?”

~_~_~_~_~_

There had always been a belief amongst the lesser races that Changelings weren’t able to transform themselves into anything other than quadrupeds. Creatures such as dragons, sea ponies, and minotaurs considered themselves safe from the influence of the swarm as a result. They were, of course, wrong.

With enough time and study, a Ling could turn themselves into nearly anything. A dragon, a fish, some monster, even inanimate objects like chairs, tables, and rocks could be easily done. The main issue one would commonly face however was attention to detail.

One could turn into a rock, but if they hadn’t taken the time to properly study the grain, pattern, and color of the rock they were transforming into they would stand out like a sore thumb. If one transformed into a gryphon and attempted to stroll into a town full of the birds without making sure you had put actual feathers onto your wings you’d be in a cell within the hour.

Chrysalis’s specialty had always been ponies. With a glance, she could make herself an exact match of anypony alive. Within a few minutes of watching and listening, even the pony’s closest friends and family would have trouble choosing between her and the original.

The fiasco that had been the invasion of Canterlot had been nothing more than a fluke. The only reason the queen could think that Twilight Sparkle had been able to detect her was that she was the Element of Magic, that or Harmony itself had been guiding her. The then-unicorn hadn’t seen Cadence in years, for crying out loud!

She hadn’t much interest or opportunity to focus her talents on most other critters. Dragons didn’t hold much love, only greed from what she had seen. Gryphons and minotaurs were far too ornery and difficult. Salt water dried out her mane, so any creatures of the sea had never and would never be a consideration. That being said, she was never one to shy away from a challenge.

There was going to be no way she’d be able to hide herself here without detection, she knew that, meaning that she was going to have to disguise herself. She couldn’t simply turn into a pony and say that she was his wife. Anypony with half a brain would realize something was wrong. Any other creature that roamed this planet would also be under similar scrutiny, with a very good chance of her being discovered and transformed into a statue for her trouble. Were she a hyoo-man however, a hyoo-man that was the beloved of Anonymous, the stallion that these ponies already knew, then she might be safe.

Oh, she was under no illusion that ponies would question her, and she might even be forced to travel to Canterlot, but the lack of knowledge of hyoo-man biology would be her saving grace. Even if they were to scan her with magic, they wouldn’t know what they were looking at, meaning that there was a very good chance that she’d get away scot-free. If she were particularly lucky, the ponies might take Anon’s word that she was his wife and leave it at that. They were soft-hearted enough for such things.

As far as she knew, there was only on hyoo-man on this planet at the moment, and he was a male to boot, making the task of transforming into a female of his species difficult to say the least. Fortunately, she did have the advantage of being able to ask Anonymous what a hyoo-man female was supposed to look like. Not only was he able to tell her, he could show her as well. His grandmother, who had apparently lived in this house before him, had been a doctor of some kind, and had collected books upon books of hyoo-man anatomy and biology. It would take some time to properly study these books, but very soon she’d be able to exactly match what a hyoo-man was inside and out.

This was all useful, but nothing compared to what her “husband” had showed her after that.

In the basement of his home there was a small glowing box seated on a table. It was a strange device called a “computer”. On it, the alien stallion had all sorts of information. Pictures, documents, moving picture shows, but in color and with sound. She was able to hear how a hyoo-man female spoke, how they moved when they walked and, perhaps most importantly, what they looked like.

It took some coaxing from Anonymous, but the stallion eventually showed her folders and folders of his kind’s females, both still and moving pictures. Most of them were naked and of a carnal nature. From the sheer amount of embarrassment coming off him as he showed her, this must have been his peoples’ version of finding a colt’s dirt magazine collection underneath his mattress. While it was thoroughly amusing to see him squirm, Chrysalis did her best to be as nonchalant as possible. No need to make the giant upset with her.

Anon took some coaxing to relax, but soon he was pointing out what made a hyoo-man female a hyoo-man female. He did his best to explain what he could, but he clearly knew little about how his own body worked, let alone one of the opposite sex. He did, however, know what he liked. It took some time, but she was able to pry the exact things out of him.

This was for his “benefit” after all. What sort of wife would she be if she wasn’t able to make herself into his ideal woman?

Days passed. The two spent from sunrise to sunset in front of the computer screen. Chrysalis looked at hundreds of females, watched what Anonymous called “movies”, both of a sexual nature and not, and just talked with the hyoo-man.

Despite being from a different world, Anon seemed like an ordinary stallion. He was in his early thirties, and had just come into this house, which he had received from his grandparents, who had raised him. His parents had never been in the picture, and speaking about them caused him no small amount of pain. He was polite, respectful, not extremely intelligent, but she already knew that. It was somewhat strange for the Changeling Queen to be so chatty with her food source. Usually, they’d be unconscious in an extraction pod or zombie-like thralls. It was refreshing in a way.

It wasn’t until the third day that she felt ready to try a transformation. When she did, Anonymous had almost jumped out of his socks when she was engulfed in green fire. She had laughed so hard at his reaction that she only had one eye in the center of her head and her nose was sideways. This, in turn caused an even more hilarious reaction from the hyoo-man. Once he eventually settled down and was sure that she wasn’t going to burn his house down she got to work.

She had expected that getting her disguise just right would be the most labor intensive part out of all of this, and she was right. The main proportions were easy, but it was the thousand little details that took much of the time. The small wrinkles and pores on her skin so the hairless flesh didn’t look like it was made of wax. There were also millions of thin, tiny hairs just all over her, even in her nose for some reason. The hands and feet were particularly difficult, with what seemed like an unnecessary amount of bones in them.

Thankfully, Anonymous was there to point out every flaw and oddity as well. What parts were too long, or too short, or not able to bend the way she was bending them. She did not know if he was just being overly picky, or his kind were just detail-oriented, but she did her best to listen to his feedback.

She used a ludicrous amount of magic on her new body and all of these little adjustments, but a hug or two a day would fill her mana reserves completely. With each day and each new iteration, she could feel Anonymous’ excitement grow, which must have meant that she was getting close. Then, all of the sudden, as she was fixing her eyebrows for the seventh time that day, she felt it.

The emotion that she had felt being around the hyoo-man for the better part of two weeks vanished in an instant. She had looked toward him then to see his mouth opened and his eyes wide. He was looking her up and down, almost shaking here he stood. Chrysalis saw this, and it took every ounce of her self control not to begin cackling. There were no hearts in his eyes, but she knew a heartstruck look when she saw it.

It looked like it had finally worked. She was now the hyoo-man’s perfect woman.

As if on cue, desire began oozing from the stallion. She immediately struck a pose, arching her back and batting her eyes at him.

“Is something wrong?” she cooed, her voice like rich honey.

Anon’s breathing hitched. She watched in no small amount of amusement as he worked his jaw, trying to say something. His body was so stiff that she was positive that she could walk over and push him over with one hand.

The queen pouted, looking down at herself. She had to admit, she truly had outdone herself with this form.

“Another failure then? I suppose we’ll need to go back to the drawing--”

“No you don’t!” Anon all but shouted in panic.

She looked at him with a small smile. “So, you like how I look then?” she asked.

“I…” Anon just looked at her helplessly, desire, nervousness, and frustration warring with each other. “You are currently the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen.”

“Really, the most beautiful?”

“I look at you and it’s actually hard to think straight. You are just… I mean…”

Chrysalis clapped her hands together. “Wonderful!” she chirped.

She was somewhat unsure on her two feet, but nevertheless she was able to close the distance between the two of them. Anon stood there, rooted in place as she sauntered toward him. She made sure to sway her hips with each step she took. Her smile widened when she felt his lust spike.

The queen placed her hands on his shoulders. Rising herself on her tippy toes--a strange sensation, as she had never been able to do such a thing--she planted a kiss on his lips.

“I’m glad you like it, sweetie.”

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Twilight was in her personal study, a book in hoof and a still steaming cup of tea sitting on the table beside her. The book, a personal favorite, had barely been looked at as the alicorn stared off into space. Spike was in the study as well, seated in a bean bag chair right next to her. The drake had a bowl filled to bursting with cheesy puffs resting on his belly with his nose deep in a comic book.

“I think the girls and I should go and visit Anon today,” she said, “I know I told him to take things at his own pace, but nopony’s seen him for days!”

“Uh-huh,” Spike replied, turning a page in his comic.

“I want him to be comfortable here in Ponyville, and having ponies get used to him coming and going will be good for everypony I think. I know Pinkie had that party for him, and there was that sit-down at town hall that went very well, but the ponies here are… well, you know…”

“Yep.”

Closing her book, Twilight turned to Spike. “Do you think Anon is maybe nervous coming around us? Maybe he thinks we’ll chase him out with pitchforks?”

“Totally.”

“What?!”

Spike jumped, the movement sending the bowl on his belly into the air. He scrambled, and was just able to catch it without spilling too many cheesy puffs.

“Huh? What are you yelling around, Twilight?”

“You think Anon thinks we’re going to chase him out of town with pitchforks!”

“What? I didn’t say that!”

“You just did! You!-- Spike, were you even listening to me?”

“...Yes?”

“Alright, who was I just talking about?”

Spike narrowed his eyes. Twilight narrowed her eyes as well, her muzzle scrunching up.

“You were talking about… Zecora.”

“Anon. I was talking about Anon.”

“The big alien?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what were you talking about him for?”

Twilight just groaned, covering her face with her hooves. She was about to say more when she began to hear a loud tapping. Her ears perked up, and she lifted her hooves so she could look over at the window on the other side of the room.

“Is that Rainbow?” Spike asked.

Twilight frowned. “Yes it is. She should know better than to be knocking on windows like this. It’s rude.”

While she did have half a mind to ignore the pegasus until she stopped her tapping and went to knock on her front door like a normal pony, the look in the speedster’s eyes gave her pause. The alicorn’s horn glowed, and the window was unlocked and opened.

“Rainbow, is everything alright?” she called.

“I, um… it’s Anon, Twi,” Rainbow replied as she turned and looked at something. “You might want to come out and take a look.”

Hearing the human’s name, Twilight scrambled out of her chair. She galloped over to the window as fast as she could. Her horn glowing, she quickly teleported out onto the street, trying her best to keep calm.

Had something happened to him? Was he alright? She knew she should have checked on him sooner.

She scanned around, looking for the alien stallion. What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. There were other ponies on the street. All of them had stopped what they had been doing to stare as well.

Anon was making his way down the road, and he wasn’t alone. There was another figure right next to him. They seemed unsure on their legs, leaning against him for support as they walked. They were a head shorter than Anonymous, and were wearing a shirt that was two sizes too big for them.

Even from where she stood, Twilight could see that the creature was beautiful. Dark green, nearly black curly hair cascaded down their shoulders. Their face was soft yet regal, with high cheekbones and full, plush lips. Their skin was pale, and without blemish or imperfection. The most striking thing was their eyes however. They were pools of the deepest emeralds. They were small and round like Anon’s, but they held so much strength and emotion in them.

Twilight felt her stomach tighten. As she stared at the creature’s full hips, and thick, powerfully built legs and… were those teats hiding underneath that shirt? On her chest?

Why in Celestia’s name were they so big?

As she processed just what she was seeing, Anon and what could have only been a human mare holding onto him closed the distance. The alien mare stopped twenty feet or so from Twilight, looking unsure, but Anon was able to coax her forward until they were both just a few feet away. Anon, looking around, nervously cleared his throat.

“Ponies and ponettes, I’d like you all to meet my wife, Chryssi.”

Chapter Three

“So, you like how I look then?”

Anon could only stare at the woman standing in front of him with a smile. He could barely breathe, much less process what she had just asked him, but, even so, he somehow managed it. It had been a very strange few days. He had thought he’d be used to strange since coming to this horse-dominated world, but it seemed as though he couldn’t have been more wrong.

He had honestly thought that this whole transformation into a human woman wasn’t going to work out. The love horse would give up after a few days, and he’d be able to convince her to leave without making Princess Twilight or anyone else upset. Heck, the best thing would be her getting so upset that she’d leave on her own so he didn’t even have to do any work himself.

At first, it looked like things were going to go that way. After days combing through his computer to see as many women as possible--which might have been one of the most uncomfortable and awkward things he had ever been a part of--the love horse turned into some pretty horrific things. Green flames erupting all over her body had been scary enough, but the first few humanoids she became were straight out of a horror movie. Arms too long, faces too wide, eyes so huge that they took up the entire head; stuff if you saw running around your house at night you’d just burn it down and call yourself lucky. After the fifth or so transformation, he sort of got used to it, though that didn’t mean she couldn’t surprise him with something extra terrible.

He knew he would have given up after the second or third day, but the love horse was determined. She poured over the contents of his deepest, darkest folders, looked at his grandmother’s medical books, and grilled him with what must have been hundreds of questions.

As odd and pushy as she was, the mare was crazy smart and detail oriented. She wanted to make sure that she had the smallest detail perfect for everything. He did try his best to help her, but his limited knowledge of his own biology was quickly outpaced by her questions. She was a note taker, and a sketcher as well. He had given her some notebooks that he had lying around, and she had filled two of them in quick succession. It was like he was watching an artist getting ready for their masterpiece, and, while he was still iffy about the mare, he really was kind of touched that someone would go through so much effort to make him happy.

It was also nice to have someone around the house to just hang out with. Alongside the porn, he and love horse, whose name he learned was Chrysalis, had watched a lot of normal movies. In between adjusting eye size and skin they’d just talk as well; important things, mundane things, exciting things, boring things, nothing was off the table. He didn’t know why, but the mare was really easy to talk to. While Chrysalis preferred listening to him rather than talk about herself, he did manage to get some things out of her.

She had been pretty important amongst the love horse community. From the way she spoke, he was pretty sure that there had been a falling out. She also seemed to have some sort of history with Twilight and her friends. What exactly he wasn’t able to get out of her, positive or negative, but he didn’t want to pry. He had always been told no one liked a Nosey Ned. Whether or not Chrysalis wanted to tell him what had happened or anything about herself really was entirely on her. He was just happy with her making them both coffee every morning.

The days went by quickly. Chrysalis had started staying in a vaguely humanoid form. He almost didn’t notice she went from terrifying to vaguely human to just human with a few odd quirks. It made him oddly proud to see the slow but steady progress that he had helped with.

Today had been just another day. They had finished lunch, and Chrysalis had gotten her daily hug that somehow helped fuel her magic. The love mare had made her way into the living room so she could “work”. They had a body length mirror that he had found somewhere in the basement that she used to fully look upon her form. He had done the dishes and done a bit of sweeping, thinking that he should go and see Twilight just to let the princess know he was alright sometime later in the evening.

Maybe he’d have Chrysalis go as well to say hello? The two of them could do with some fresh air and exercise at the very least. He had walked into the living room, intent on speaking with her about it, but the second he laid eyes on her he froze like a deer in headlights.

A woman with the perfect body, the perfect face, the perfect everything stood examining herself in the mirror.

Anon had been with a gal or two, all of them pretty girls, pretty enough to all be out of his league in fact, but Chrysalis was now something else entirely. She was now a woman people would stop on the street and stare as she walked by like in the movies. The kind of lady people wrote stories about.

Chrysalis perked up as if hearing something. She turned, and he saw that she was even more beautiful than the reflection in the mirror had shown. He found himself swallowing.

Up until now, this had been pretty fun, like a game, but now the result of all of their work was right in front of him. A woman that was made literally for him. He had helped “make” her from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet. What he’d want in a perfect, ideal world. Right in front of him. Very much naked. And real. He could reach out and touch her right now if he wanted.

He didn’t feel the satisfaction of a job well done, but he did find himself coming increasingly closer to a panic attack.

“I…” he began, struggling to force out words. “You are currently the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen.”

The love mare--or love woman now Anon guessed--beamed. “Wonderful!” she said, clapping her hands together.

He watched as she walked toward him. Even though she had been getting practice walking around on two legs, she was still somewhat unsteady on her new feet. He would have reached out so she could use him as support, but found all he could do was just stand there like a moron.

There was a sway in her hips as she moved, her beautiful emerald green eyes half-lidded. Manners and raw, animalistic desire warred within him as she drew closer. He wanted to watch the woman bounce and jiggle as she moved, see muscles tense and flex under flawless skin, but this horse was now a person. She wasn’t some cute little mare that he could boop on the muzzle but a person. A girl. A woman. A lady. He couldn’t just gawk or stare with his mouth hung open. Anon knew that it was a ridiculous thought, but he couldn’t make himself shake it.

Two small, slender hands found themselves on his shoulders, making him jump. He tried to say something, but Chrysalis planted a kiss on his cheek, and his heart leapt to his throat.

“I’m glad you like, sweetie,” she whispered, right in his ear, her voice sweeter than honey.

Those words stirred something deep in Anon that he had never felt before. This had worked. It was real. The mare that insisted she was his wife had turned herself into a human woman like out of some storybook.

A wave of nausea crashed over him. Chrysalis took a deep back, her smile disappearing when she saw his expression.

“Anonymous?” she said, though Anon could barely hear her over the ringing in his ears.

He might have fallen over, if not for the love horse grabbing him by the arm. She helped him backwards and eventually into a chair, hurrying into the kitchen as his head spun. A minute or two later she appeared with a wet rag and a glass of ice water. She handed him the water, and placed the rag on his head.

“Are you alright?” she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Anon drained the glass in two big gulps. He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths as he counted to ten in his head. When he was finished, he gave the woman a thumbs up.

“I’m fine. I’m fine. It just… sort of hit me all at once I guess.”

Chrysalis cocked her head to the side. He looked up at her, then looked away.

“Have you ever asked for something, but when you got it it was too much?”

“I cannot say that I have.”

Anon cracked a smile. “You know, up until now I hadn’t either,” he said. “I… you’re just really beautiful now, and you’re here and you being a human makes this whole thing real.” He made a vague gesture with a hand. “Does that make sense?”

“Not at all,” Chrysalis told him, shaking her head.

She placed a hand overtop of his, giving it a squeeze. He looked down at their hands. It had been months since he had seen another person, and a lot longer since another hand had squeezed his. Anon felt his stomach tighten.

He knew he should have been happy. This was exactly what Chrysalis said she was going to do, and what he had been helping her with. So why was he freaking out?

“...You really want to look like this and not like you were?” he asked.

“Of course,” Chrysalis replied. “This is the form most appeals to you, correct?”

“But what about you though? This whole wanting to be my wife thing. Is that what you really want?”

He watched as a flash of irritation crossed Chrysalis’s new face. She leaned toward him, staring him right in the eye.

“Do you think I’d go through all this effort otherwise? If I wished for another partner I could have turned into a pony in ten minutes and gone about my way. I could have not undergone my journey, or asked the Princess for her help, or went through the trouble of casting my mighty love spell to find you.” She poked his chest with a finger. “You are mine, Anonymous. I told you that the first time I met you and I’ll tell you as many times as needed to get it through your thick alien skull. I am going to be the best, most beautiful, most powerful wife your kind have ever and will ever know, and you, in turn, will shower me with love and affection for the rest of your days!”

She punctuated each point with a hard jab of her finger, her brow furrowed. Anon tried to look away, but found that he couldn’t.

“What If I’m a shitty husband though?” he squeaked.

Chrysalis growled. Her lips drew back, and he saw that her canines were much longer and sharper than a humans should have been.

“Then I will happily whip you into shape. Now. You like this form, yes?”

“I--”

“Yes or no, Anonymous. If I hear anything other than one of those two words I shall transform into something far less easy in your eyes.”

“...Yes.”

“You see that my efforts show my serenity, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You are single, and in need of a significant other?”

That question gave him pause. He had honestly never thought about it. His grandmother had always talked about having him find some sweet girl so they’d have grand babies to spoil while his pap told him not to be in any hurry. Love would come, and real love would come to him like a raging storm or an ornery bull.

“Yes,” he said quietly.

She smiled, and all the anger left her face. “Then I will keep it,” she said, standing up. “And we’ll live together in this big, lonely house of yours as husband and wife.”

Anon’s mouth twitched as she placed her hands on her hips, clearly daring him to say otherwise. His gram would really love this love horse. She always loved girls with a lot of zest.

“Well, if that’s the case--”

“It is.”

“--then would you like to go into town with me? I just wanna check in with Twilight so she knows I’m alright.” Anon scratched his chin. “If she knows you already I’d imagine that she’d like to check up with you as well.”

Chrysalis said nothing for a good long while. She stared off into the distance, her lips pursed into a thin line as if she were thinking hard. Then, out of the blue, she smiled.

“Yes, I believe we should go into town and greet the ponies,” she said. “But we might wish to go about it in a particular way.”

Anon raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Tradition amongst love horses states that when we transform into the ideal mate for our partners our old lives are erased. Who I was before is meaningless. The Princess and everypony that had any knowledge of love horses knows this. I’m sure you would have too, if you had been in this world a little longer.”

Chrysalis spread out her arms, her smile widening. It wasn’t quite reaching up to her ears, but he was really going to have to tell her that mouths didn’t work like that sometime in the future.

“So… does that mean you can’t talk to your family, or what?”

“It means, as of this point, I am Chryssi, your hyoo-man wife,” Chrysalis replied. “My past is gone, but that simply means that I can now make it whatever I so wish. Meaning that when we get to town I’d like you to go along with what I say and do.”

Anon narrowed his eyes at Chrysalis. “You’re just going to make up a backstory about yourself to ponies that know you’re not a human?”

“Yes,” Chrysalis said with a confident nod of her head. “It is the way of my people. It is theatrics for the ponies you understand.”

He really didn’t. He understood that he might not know a whole lot about this world, but this seemed just a little too out there. That being said, he had seen a group of ponies break out into a choreographed song and dance number that went on for five minutes with no warning. Maybe this was an actual thing that love horses did?

Anon stared at the woman in front of him. He still had a feeling that something fishy was going on. Still, it was hard to deny that he didn’t like the idea of having someone staying with him. She was also stupid pretty, and she wanted to be his wife, and possibly do all the things that entailed.

What would really be the harm in humoring her? If she was serious, he had a smoking hot wife. If she was up to something shady he’d just let Twilight know and she’d sort it out.

He found himself slowly nodding. “Alright,” he said. “Before we go anywhere though, we need to get you some clothes.”

~_~_~_~_~_~

Their walk toward Ponyville proper was a quiet one. Chrysalis was pressing herself against him, using his arm for support so she didn’t fall over. He had given her one of his shirts and a pair of shorts. He had also managed to find a pair of slip-on sandals. Everything was much too large for her, and every few steps she had to adjust something.

In the comfortable silence, Anon had time to consider his situation. With another person in the house he was really going to need to clean up. Did Chrysalis have stuff she needed to move in? Were they going to use the same bathroom, or was he actually going to have to get the one in the basement working?

If Chrysalis was going to be a human, she was going to need clothing. There would be another town hall meeting where ponies would be freaking out no doubt. They’d probably need to go to the mayor to sign a bunch of documents. Did she have a visa already, or was a new one going to need to be made for her because of this love horse history erasing thing?

When she settled in the house would she want stuff moved around or thrown out? He hadn’t really changed anything since his grandparents had passed. He had bought a few things, but there was a lot of stuff that was outdated. If furniture was anything like it was back home it wouldn’t be cheap either.

Good lord, he was going to have to get a job here, wasn’t he? He already felt bad for relying on the crown for everything they had done, he couldn’t ask them to refurbish his home, or cloth and feed Chrysalis.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice as the two of them reached the outskirts of Ponyville. Two mares hauling carts of foodstuff were chatting with each other. That chatter immediately stopped the moment they saw them, both mares staring at the two with wide eyes and open mouths.Chrysalis ignored them, her grip on Anon’s arm tightening as she picked up her pace.

The further into town they got the more ponies that they came across, and each pony reacted with shock and surprise. Some pointed, others talking amongst themselves. Anon just awkwardly waved as they made their way toward Twilight’s castle.

A bolt of rainbow raced above them. Anon had seen that bolt of rainbow enough times to know that it was Rainbow Dash. She no doubt saw them and was letting Twilight know.

Chrysalis jumped with a sharp inhalation. She pressed herself against him while she watched as Dash stopped at one of the windows at the castle. With his free hand, He gave her shoulder a squeeze. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have said that the love horse turned woman was actually fearful. In fact, ever since they had started seeing ponies, she had seemed on edge.

This was probably her leaning into her new persona. Even so, he stood a little taller, hoping the ponies would give them a little more space. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to notice his manly intimidation act or simply didn’t care, moving a little closer to stare at Chrysalis.

They both nearly made it to the castle’s front door when there was a pop. Twilight appeared a few feet away. She looked around before her eyes settled on them, and she froze, her mouth falling open.

At the sight of her, Chrysalis stopped in her tracks. Her grip on his arm tightened until he hissed in pain. He gave her shoulder a tap, but she didn’t react. She said nothing, she didn’t move, didn’t do anything, she just stared at Twilight. Silence settled amongst the crowd. Some ponies shuffled in place, unsure what to do. Anon nudged Chrysalis again, this time with a little more force. This was supposed to be her show; the least she could do was say something to start it off.

The woman twitched. Her grip on his arm, thankfully, loosened and she looked up at him with her stunning green eyes. Anon was no mind reader, but her expression said more than enough. He stepped away from her and turned toward the crowd, clearing his throat.

“Ponies and ponettes, I’d like you all to meet my wife, Chryssi.”

Almost immediately, all hell broke loose.

Twilight attempted to say something, but it was drowned out by dozens of other voices. Ponies yelling out questions, talking to each other, trying to get answers from Twilight. The flower sisters passed right out, and a random stallion began running in circles, clearly panicked.

The same thing had happened when he first came to Ponyville, and, honestly, it was just as funny to watch the second time.

“What the hay--!”

“They’re multiplying--!”

“What’s with her teats--?!”

“I told you! You let the aliens in and they think it’s all well and good to bring more of ‘em--!”

Oddly enough, the ruckus seemed to calm Chrysalis down. She looked terrified, running over to him, but as she pressed herself against him once more all he felt no tension in her body.

The next few hours were a blur of activity. Once the ponies had calmed down somewhat, Chrysalis began speaking. She wove a tale of a woman that had lost her husband, whom she desperately missed. How she felt so lost without him, how she wanted more than anything to be with him again. How, one lonely night, she had wished upon a shooting star and disappeared from her world to this one right in front of her home to be reunited with her beloved.

The ponies hung on her every word, and Anon understood why. The love horse had such a way with words that if he didn’t know she was making this all up he would have believed her too. She spoke with such conviction, such emotion. She would pause to wipe a tear from her eye or her voice would crack at just the right time. By the end of it, ponies had handkerchiefs out. A group of teary-eyed foals even ran over to hug her legs, which she really didn’t seem to appreciate. Twilight moved forward after the tale for some brief questions, and they were both sent home after promising to return early the next day.

Anon felt bone tired as he walked through his front door. Chrysalis was right behind him, locking it with a happy sigh. She was smiling ear-to-ear, looking as if she had won herself a gold medal. The woman practically skipped into the living room, kicking off her shoes.

“I told you that ponies enjoy their theatrics,” she said. “I had them eating out of the palm of my hand!”

Anon grunted. “Now you’ll get the Twilight treatment,” he said.

Chrysalis’ expression soured somewhat. “I… suppose so,” she said.

“Well, if this is all theatrical, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right?”

“Yes, you are correct,” she replied, slowly nodding. “It’s just to keep everypony happy.”

As much as Anon would have liked to start poking holes in… whatever was going on, he decided to let sleeping dogs lie for now. Whatever this was, he wasn’t going to worry about it until he had to. Until that day came he’d just try to enjoy himself.

“Well, since we’re gonna have a long day tomorrow I think I’ll hit the hay,” he said with a yawn.

Chrysalis perked up. “Then I shall join you,” she said, grabbing his hand.

“Join me? What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean? I’m your wife, you simple man,” Chrysalis asked with a smile. “Can I not sleep with my husband?”

Before he could reply, she began to lead him up the stairs and into the bathroom. He had given her toiletries days ago, and she had been using the downstairs bathroom, but somehow all of her stuff had already been moved up here.

“When did this all get here?” he asked as Chrysalis walked in as if she owned the place.

“When you had me change into your clothing,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“Huh, alrighty then…”

Anon considered taking a shower, but thought against it. He didn’t know what he’d do if Chrysalis insisted on joining him.

Teeth brushed, the two went into the bedroom. He laid down, making sure to give his “wife” plenty of room, resting on his side. He heard a huff, then soft hoofsteps on the carpeted floor. The bed creaked as Chrysalis climbed into the bed on the side he was facing. Before he could move, she pressed herself against him, an arm slung over him, her face pressed lightly against his chest, and her hair tickling his nose.

“Good night,” she murmured.

Anon laid very still as the woman made herself comfortable by rubbing herself against him over and over. He had a feeling that he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. Lying there, stiff as a board, he hoped Chrysalis couldn’t hear the pounding of his heart.

Though he didn’t see it, the small smile on her face showed that she indeed could.

Chapter Four

The plan worked just as well as Chrysalis expected it to. The ponies didn't regard her with any suspicion whatsoever. The fools had taken her little tale to heart, and saw her nothing more than a doting wife that was reunited with her husband. They had taken her to the local horsepital for a check-up, but they were as ignorant of the hyoo-man body as she expected.

She would be safe. For now.

Anonymous played the husband quite well. She was surprised that he had gone along with her plan to present herself as his wife, but she wasn’t going to complain. Perhaps hyoo-mans were simply that dull? Maybe his kind simply allowed the females to take the lead? Whatever the case, she wasn’t going to look a gift parasprite in the maw.

As well as the plan had gone, there still had been a hiccup, as happened with even the best laid plans. That hiccup had a name as well. Twilight Sparkle.

“Thank you for coming in today! Are you feeling well? I know this is a lot to process, so if you’re not okay I just want you to know that it’s absolutely fine.”

Chrysalis sat opposite of the alicorn in a far too small chair. She had her legs crossed, and was doing her very best to appear enthused before the purple idiot. Twilight, for her part, sat in her chair like a foal that had just ingested far too much sugar. Three notebooks floated around her, with what must have been fifteen quills. A few of them were already scratching notes on one of the notebooks.

“I’m fine,” Chrysalis replied with a smile. “It is somewhat overwhelming, but having my husband with me is making a world of difference.”

The scratching of quills against paper increased. Chrysalid idly wondered what the princess would do if she just stood up and walked away without a word. She toyed with the thought for a moment, but decided against it. This mare, such as she was, was far more dangerous than she looked. It would be best to humor her so she didn’t begin to suspect that she wasn’t who she said she was.

“I want to thank you again for agreeing to answer a few of my questions,” Twilight said, snatching a notebook and a quill out of the air and holding it in her hooves. “I’m just so fascinated with your culture, your world. I’ve asked Anon about your world as much as I could but I thought I’d get a mare’s perspective on your world, if that’s alright with you.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. While she had grilled Anonymous about his world, the stallion hadn’t given as much as she would have liked. Still, she was fairly confident in her ability to flub her way into victory.

“Please, go ahead. I’ll do my best to answer.”

Twilight cleared her throat, flipping through her notebook. “Well, first question: could you tell me how you and Anon met?”

“How we met?”

“Yes. Anon hadn’t told anypony that he was married. I suspect that it was because he didn’t want to worry any of us. That, and I’m sure he didn’t want to think about what he had left behind.”

The mare looked sad for a moment before she smiled once more. Chrysalis couldn’t help but feel a flash of annoyance. The alicorn really did have a punchable face.

“Anyway, since you’re here now we have an opportunity to learn about human courtship which is just so… exciting on so many levels. So, I’d love to hear how you became husband and wife.”

“Oh course,” Chrysalis said, leaning forward in her chair. “I had just moved to a small town called…” She squinted. “Humanville. A town called Humanville.”

“Humanville, alright,” Twilight murmured, nodding as she wrote.

“While there I decided to search for an ideal mate. Being the most powerful, intelligent, and graceful hyoo-man female I was able to have my pick of any man.”

“Ohhhh, so do human women compete for mates then?”

“Yes. It’s not something we tell the men, but we do compete. Usually it’s bloodless, but one needs to occasionally deal with a rival in a more… permanent manner.”

“You don’t tell the men? Could you expand on that?”

“We won’t bother them with such things,” Chrysalis said with a dismissive wave of the hand. “There are many traditions that only we womenfolk practice. If Anonymous did tell you anything about us I’d recommend you disregard everything he said.”

“You’re own traditions… interesting,” Twilight said, still writing. “Would one of those traditions involve magic?”

Chrysalis froze. “Pardon?”

Twilight looked up from her notebook. “You have magic in you,” she said, pointing at her with a quill. “It’s strange, but it’s definitely magic.”

“And how would you know that?” Chrysalis asked, with a little more force than she intended.

“Oh, forgive me,” Twilight said. “I’m sure Anon hasn’t told you yet; even if he did have the time I’m sure the thought wouldn’t have crossed his mind. As well as being a Princess of Equestria, I’m what’s called an Element of Magic. There are a lot of things that come along with that title, but let’s just say that I’m very well versed in most forms of magic.”

Chrysalis stared straight into the alicorn’s eyes. She did a quick calculation in her head on if she’d be able to blast the mare across the room before she could answer with a counterspell. As loathe as she was to admit it, even with Anonymous feeding her, she wasn’t at a level to take her in a fair fight. Twilight Sparkle had been powerful as a unicorn, but now she was in another league entirely, and Anon hadn’t given her proper love yet.

“Yes, magic.” She cleared her throat. “That actually is one of the traditions, you are correct. We human females are well versed in spellcraft.”

A glint came to her eye, and Chrysalis realized her mistake far too late.

“Well versed in spellcraft you say?”

~_~_~_~_~_~_~

Sweet Apple Acres was, if nothing else, rightly named. There were apple trees as far as the eye could see. It was a bit too early in the year for the trees to begin fruiting, but Anon had been told once they did a person could smell nothing but apples from here to Canterlot.

He walked up the dirt road that led up to a big, stately home. He had been walking pretty much since he woke up, going from one side of Ponyville to the other, and his feet ached. Since dropping Chrysalis off at Twilight’s, he had gone around with the singular purpose of finding himself a job and, so far, he had been unsuccessful.

Everywhere he went they either didn’t need any help, he was far too big to move around the workplace, or he didn’t have the necessary skill. There had been a greenish unicorn that had wanted him to work at her wife’s candy shop, but the mare had such an unsettling look in her eyes that he had politely turned her down.

He hadn’t tried every business in town yet, but there weren’t many left. If he was forced to, he could try to find work elsewhere, maybe take the train every morning to Canterlot or someplace similar, but that was going to be a last resort. For now, if he could help it, he wanted to stay close to town. He had a feeling that Twilight wouldn’t be thrilled with him traveling willy-nilly, and Chrysalis even less so.

Anon had never been a farmer. He didn’t know a whole lot about it. He might have touched a cow once when he went on a fieldtrip with a bunch of kids in middle school. All that, coupled with his constant string of failures today, made him less than hopeful about his chances here. Still, he figured he may as well try. He did have a wife to take care of now after all.

As he grew closer to the house, he kept an eye out for Applejack. The mare had insisted that he could come around the farm anytime he wanted. He also made sure to keep an eye out for Big Macintosh, her big brother. He had met the giant of a stallion at the townhall meeting. The red earth pony hadn’t said much, but he seemed a decent sort. Coming up to the house, he didn’t find either pony. Instead he found a pony seated on an old rocking chair.

He had never seen such an old mare. She looked absolutely ancient, gaunt and wrinkled, and her mane and tail as white as snow. Her eyes, slightly sunken into her skull, were full of life however, and as he closed the distance between them Anon could feel those eyes burrow into him.

“Mornin’ there, critter,” the mare croaked, reaching over for a cane that had been carefully leaned up against the wall. “You an animal or are ya a thinker?”

“Morning, ma’am,” Anon said. He didn’t quite know what to do with his hands, so he placed them behind his back. “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m Anon the, um, alien.”

The old mare regarded him for a moment or two before she smiled. “Applejack did tell me you were a’ causin’ an uproar in town. What can I do fer ya, young fella?”

“I was wondering if you might need an extra hand around the farm--”

“Hand? What the hay is that?”

Anon lifted a hand and wiggled his fingers. “This. we call them--”

“You sure that ain’t a claw?” the mare interrupted.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Looks like a claw to me.”

“I think claws would have long, sharp nails, ma’am.”

“You ain’t got sharp nails on the end of them grabbers?”

“...I have nails, ma’am, but they don’t get long or sharp. At least I don’t let them get like that.”

The mare squinted at him before nodding. “Alrighty then. Hand. Humph. You aliens got strange names fer things, don’t ya?”

Anon stared at her. She stared back, her chair squeaking as she rocked, her lower jaw working as if she were chewing on something. He cleared his throat.

“Anyway, I was looking for work and thought I’d come here to ask if there was any to be had.”

The mare looked off into the distance, as if milling over his words. “You gotta probe us?”

Anon blinked. “Pardon?”

“You aliens like probin’ folks, dontcha? Stickin’ things up their flanks an’ such. If yer lookin’ for any of that, go down to the Pear’s farm, ‘cause you ain’t sodomizing anypony here, feller.”

Anon’s mouth opened and closed as he attempted to process the mare’s words. It wasn’t really the words themselves that were throwing him for a loop, he had gotten some really weird questions at the town hall meeting, it was how casual and even friendly her tone was. Like she was talking to him about the weather, and not sticking something up her butt. It took some effort, but he was finally able to find his voice once again.

“I’m just looking for work, ma’am. I’m not trying to hurt anyone or do anything wrong.”

“Humph. Anyone. Another one of them fangled alien words.” she leaned forward, eying him up and down. “You ever worked on a farm ‘fore?”

“No I have not.”

“You ever milk a cow? Till a field? Pick apples?”

“No.”

“You ever fixed a post or build somethin’ with them hands of yers?”

“I did take a woodshop class in high school where I made a box.”

The mare hummed, scratching her chin with a hoof. Her eyes narrowed to slits. “If’n you ain’t done any farm work, or bucked a tree, an’ those grabbers o’ yours look soft an’ delicate like, why in Celestia’s name did you come here for work?”

Anon looked down at his hands. “No one else wanted to hire me,” he admitted. “And I have a wife I need to take care of.”

The mare seemed to perk up at that. “Applejack said somethin’ about that as well,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “You sure you gotta work? I figure Princess Twilight could keep you both mighty comfortable.”

“I don’t want to take advantage like that,” Anon replied. “Princess Twilight has already done so much for me. Besides, I don’t like the idea of being a freeloader.”

“Farmin’ is mighty hard work, young fella. You might not like it,” the mare said. “I’ve seen colts bigger an’ tougher ‘an you quit it.”

“I’d still like to try,” Anon told her. “I need to do something, and I got a mouth to feed.”

The mare hummed and hawed. She mumbled to herself, rubbing the side of her face. With a grunt and the popping of bones, she rose out of her chair. Climbing down the front porch, she walked right up to him.

“Golly. You are a mighty big fella,” she said with a whistle, looking up at him. “You ain’t gonna be a no good lazy varment, are ya?”

“I’ll work,” Anon replied.

“Just work? Not work hard, sonny?”

“Your work hard and my work hard are probably a lot different, ma’am.”

The mare laughed. “You’re probably right, partner,” she said, giving his leg a pat. “Tell ya what. I’ll give ya a chance. If’n yer not cut out for the job then I’ll give you some bits and send you on your way with no hard feelings. If’n ya make out to be a decent farmhand I’ll keep ya on full time. How’s that sound?”

Anon smiled. “I’d appreciate it, ma’am.”

“Ya might, ya might not. Just cause yer some fancy alien don’t mean me and my kin won’t work ya,” the mare said, poking his knee. “Cause we’re gonna work ya.”

She turned to walk away, but stopped, looking back up at him. “Get your keister here ‘fore sun up tomorrow. Mac an’ Applejack will have work for ya. An’ don’t be callin’ me ma’am no more. Makes me feel even older ‘an I am. I’m Granny; Granny Smith.”

She offered him a hoof. Feeling more relieved than he had since he woke up this morning, Anon took it.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

“So, your females produce pheromones to get your males to listen to you?”

“Of course. Pheromones we use to entice and attract. Only the truly skilled are able to tailor-make the proper scent for one’s mate.”

“Oh! Fascinating! Is that difficult?”

“Far more difficult than it should be, but I am very good at what I do.”

“And just how are you able to do that if you don’t mind me--”

It had only been a few hours, but for Chrysalis it felt like days. The moronic purple princess had not ceased her barrage of questions. The queen had weathered them like only a master of deception could, but she was beginning to tire of this pest. She was nursing a headache, and had forgone all attempts at acting anything other than annoyed. Twilight Sparkle, the buffoon that she was, didn’t seem to notice her displeasure, yammering away happily.

During the questioning, the alicorn had also moved closer to her, which vexed the queen even more. The princess, as the questioning had progressed, had also began sneaking glances at her chest, and each time she did so the curious excitement mixed with desire. She was staring at her breasts now, and Chrysalis could just make out the faintest blush against her purple fur.

“Chryssi… Would you be alright if I asked you a few questions about your teats? Maybe… let me examine them? For scientific reasons of course.”

Thankfully, before Chrysalis could begin to compose an answer to that, she heard a door open. Both her and Sparkle looked over as Anonymous poked his head inside.

“Hello. I’m back,” he said. “Everything going alright?”

Never before had Chrysalis been happier to see someone. She practically leapt out of her chair and raced toward him. The hyoo-man was barely able to step into the room before she hugged him. The queen threw all caution and dignity to the wind, looking up at him with desperate eyes.

“Help me,” she whispered.

Anon snorted, looking over at Twilight Sparkle. “Twi, do you mind if I take the missus back home for the day? We’ll be around town tomorrow if you want to ask any more questions.”

Dismay filled the room as the alicorn looked back at him, so much that Chrysalis was sure that she’d say no. Thankfully, blessedly, she nodded.

“Of course,” she said, managing to keep the disappointment from her voice. “I’ve kept you here long enough, Chryssi. Probably a little too long for your liking.”

Chrysalis let out the best giggle she could manage. “It’s no trouble at all, your highness,” she said, trying hard not to grit her teeth. “I’ve enjoyed our talk. I’d love to continue it another day if you have the time.”

Twilight smiled. “I’d like that,” she said. “Anon, thank you for letting me borrow your wife for the day. She was wonderful.”

“I’m well aware,” Anon said, giving Chrysalis a wink. “I’m tired and hungry, and I think I’m gonna order the wife and me a pizza when we get home.”

“I’ll order it. It’s the least I can do.”

“You don’t need to, Twi. I--”

“No. I insist,” Twilight said, raising a hoof. “I’ll have a few pizzas sent to your house. I won’t take no for an answer either.”

Anon smiled, and Chrysalis could feel the affection the hyoo-man held for the pathetic pony. She was about to pinch him, when he reached down and scooped her up in his arms.

“Thank you very much, Twilight. Goodnight. I didn’t see Spike when I came in, so tell him goodnight for me too.”

“He’s probably at the comic shop with Starlight and Trixie,” the alicorn said with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. “I’ll let him know. Goodnight, Anon, Chryssi.”

Making sure that the queen was securely in his arm, Anon turned around and made his way out the door. Chrysalis closed her eyes, drinking the positive emotions coming from the hyoo-man. It did somewhat mend her headache. A nice soak in the tub was what she really needed.

“Sometimes you just gotta tell Twilight no,” Anon said. “If you don't, she can go on and on all night. I’d know. She give you a hard time today?”

“Not a hard time exactly,” Chrysalis said, massaging her temples. “I expected you hours ago, and didn’t wish to leave for fear that you’d be out looking for me.”

She felt his good mood dampen somewhat. Eyes still closed, she reached up to pat his cheek to show that she wasn’t angry with him.

“So, how did your quest go?” she asked.

“Good actually. I managed to land myself a job at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“You wish to be a farm hand?”

Anon shrugged as best as he could. “No one else was hiring. I was told I have a chance to show my stuff. If I’m really bad at it they’ll fire me and I’ll look somewhere else.”

Chrysalis rested her cheek against shoulder. She could smell the slight tang of sweat coupled with his natural scent. She had gotten used to it since sharing a bed with him, and she had to admit that she found his odor pleasant.

“Then you’ll be working and leaving me at the house by myself all day,” she said, pouting.

Anon paused midstep. “If you really would like to go out and find a job I’m not going to stop you,” he replied. “I just… I needed to get one. If you’re really going to be my wife I need to take care of you.”

Chrysalis opened her eyes to see the hyoo-man staring everywhere but at her. She could feel just a touch of embarrassment well up inside of him.

“Take care of me, you say?”

He nodded. “My pap was really old school. Gram stayed at home while he worked. He had some beliefs about men and women and what their professions should be. Again, you can work, you can stay home, you can do whatever you want, but I know I’m gonna work and, if its alright with you, I’d like to take care of you. If you want.”

Chrysalis cocked her head to the side. “Do your females have issues with that sort of belief?”

“Some do,” Anon said, cringing slightly. “I really don’t mean anything by it either. I don’t want to sound controlling or anything like that. It’s just how I was raised.”

Chrysalis pretended to think over his words. She had absolutely no intention of seeking employment amongst the ponies. In fact, she had been rather worried that Anonymous was eventually going to insist that she do so. She was not made to work like some menial drone, she was a queen. She had others do the work.

“I will stay home and maintain the household,” she said with a nod.

She felt relief flood Anonymous. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“I’m very sure,” she replied, with the utmost confidence. “Believe it or not, but we love horses have a similar culture.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes. I can make our house something truly fit for a queen.”

“A queen?” Anon asked with a smile.

Chrysalis leaned up, planting a kiss on his neck, allowing her lips to linger near the tender flesh. “Of course. I’m your queen. Beautiful and powerful and perfect. For you and only you.”

She could feel it as Anonymous’s face turned red. It was very nearly there; the emotion she wished more than anything from this alien. Love.

Even the unfocused, fractured emotion that it was now was delicious. Even Shining Armor’s true love had not been as sweet. It made the hairs that she had so painstakingly placed on her arms stand up.

She was going to have a love greater than any she had ever tasted before very soon. Not only that, she was going to be able to endlessly harvest from him. The empire that she had ruled would seem like a hovel compared to what would come in the coming months. There would be no alicorn, or Element of Harmony, or God of Chaos that would be able to stop her.

Chrysalis let out a pleased giggle, kissing her “husband” on his cheek.

Chapter Five

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The blissful tranquility of slumber was torn apart at the harsh, unforgiving, metallic sound of an alarm going off. Anon had owned this particular alarm since he was twelve years old. It had been a gift from his grandfather, and he had never forgiven the old man for giving him something that had caused him so much pain over the years.

His bedroom was pitch black. Celestia’s sun wouldn’t be rising for another hour or so. He bet that he’d still be able to hear the sounds of the night if it wasn’t for that alarm. That terrible, unforgiving alarm.

He cracked open an eye. He had made sure to go to bed early the night before to get a good night’s rest, but he already felt tired. He was used to waking up later in the morning, even back on Earth. Anon was not used to getting up at this hour, and even though he hadn’t been awake for more than a minute he could feel that he didn’t like it very much.

A thought came to his mind, unbidden. Rip the alarm’s power cord out of the wall and throw the thing across the room as hard as he could. Go back to sleep and try to find another job. Maybe he’d be able to get something better today. Something where he’d be able to start at a reasonable hour.

Anon laid there, savoring the thought, enjoying the warmth and comfort of his bed. Chrysalis was right next to him, seemingly unaffected by the alarm. No matter how he had fallen asleep or what part of the bed he had drifted off on, ever since the love horse turned woman began sharing it with him he’d wake up in the same position; in the middle of the bed, lying on his side, his face pressed deeply into the softest, most supple cleavage that he had ever seen.

There was a hand resting on top of his head. He could feel the warmth coming off his “wife”, her chest slowly rising and falling with each breath she took. There was another hand pressed against his back, gently yet firmly holding him in place.

He liked where he was. There were big boobs pressed against his cheeks, and he liked listening to the steady beat of Chrysalis’ heart. He would have very much enjoyed staying there a lot longer, and the thought of just not going to the Apple’s farm seemed like a better and better idea with each passing second.

Summoning what strength he could, Anon closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Time to get to work…”

With a groan, he pulled away from the woman and sat up. Before he could try to talk himself into laying back down, he jumped out of the bed. He stared down at the alarm, then slammed the off button, hoping this time he’d break the stupid thing. The red LED that showed the time flickered, but it remained stubbornly alive. He rubbed his face with his hands before stumbling over to his closet.

Behind him, Chrysalis rolled onto her belly. She stretched like a cat, her green eyes twinkling in the darkness.

“Time for you to leave already?” she asked with a yawn.

“Yeah,” he replied, hopping around as he pulled a pair of jeans on.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come back to bed?” Chrysalis asked.

She rolled back onto her side, throwing back the covers and patting the spot right next to her. Anon looked back at her, then reached for a shirt.

“I do. I really do, but I need to make a good impression on the first day.

After a minute or so of blindly groping in the dark, he managed to find an old pair of boots that he had gotten years ago. He had worn them so little that they were like new, which meant he had some nasty blisters coming. That problem was for later in the day however, right now he needed to make sure he got to work on time. A quick glance at the alarm showed that he had half an hour left. He’d be able to make it to the farm if he hurried.

“Alright,” he said, closing the closet door. “I’m heading out. I should be home--”

He turned around to see that Chrysalis was standing right next to him. She was wearing one of his shirts and nothing else, her hair messy and hanging loosely around her shoulders. Even in the darkness she was absolutely breathtaking to look at. He still hadn’t gotten used to having a supermodel in his house, so he could only stare at her like some idiot. This gave her plenty of time to reach up and wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him downward so she could plant a kiss on his lips.

“Enjoy yourself,” she said, pressing her forehead against his. “Hurry home when you’re done.”

He could feel a tingle on his lips. She had recently moved from kissing his cheek to the lips. Just like everything else with this love horse woman, it was unlike anything he had experienced before. It made him weak in the knees each time she did it, much to Chrysalis’ delight.

“I will,” he promised. “If you need me I’m not that far away. There should be plenty here to do to keep yourself entertained. I have some bits on the counter in the kitchen if you want to go into town for anything too.”

Chrysalis rested her hands on his shoulders. Her finger tips slid up his neck, and as she took a step backward they tickled his cheeks. Booping his nose lightly with a finger, she turned back and crawled into the bed.

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll keep myself busy my dear.” She yawned, then rested her cheek against his pillow, nuzzling into it. “First though, I believe I’ll continue my beauty sleep.”

There was no time for breakfast, so Anon just grabbed himself a hunk of bread before hurrying out the door.

~_~_~_~_~_

Chrysalis rose once the sun had risen over the mountain tops. This morning was the first time in weeks that Anonymous’s unyielding flow of emotion wasn’t close by. It was true she had been without him whilst being interrogated by Sparkle, but she knew for a fact that he’d be gone for the entire day and she’d be by herself.

The thought of having such a food source being gone for such an extended period might have worried a lesser Changeling, perhaps a young queen that had just stepped from underneath her brood liege’s wing to start a hive of her own, but she had no such concerns. She wouldn’t need to feed for days, so starvation was no concern. Anonymous was twenty minutes away if she cared to walk; twenty seconds if she were to use magic to get to him. She was confident that he’d be back before sundown, safe as can be. If what she felt when he kissed him this morning was any indication, he’d rush home as fast as he could as soon as it was time to clock out. Until then, there was a great deal of work for her to do.

It was true she had created herself as his perfect mate, but she still didn’t understand just what a hyoo-man wanted in their female’s besides their looks. Anon had shown a desire for her to stay in the home. Was that in the custom of the goats, where the nanny is the one that cooks and cleans, or is it the way of the Saddle Arabians, where the mares are little more than eye candy, or something in between? As with many things, Anon had been annoyingly vague, but there was plenty in this house to guess his true feelings about the matter.

She had never been with a food source long enough to pretend to be a doting housemare or subservient mare hanging her head for her better. She had never cooked anything, and she certainly had never cleaned a home. Were this any other case, she would refuse to even humor such ideas, but with circumstances being as they were she would need to adapt. If Anonymous found her to be the perfect mate both in physical appearance and the way she conducted herself she’d be that much closer to his love, and with it the world would be hers.

After a simple meal of cereal and milk, Chrysalis made her way to the basement. Once a quick spell to see if the room were being watched was cast, she began stalking around the area. She moved piles of junk with her magic and checked each of the walls, humming thoughtfully to herself. After ten minutes or so of this she settled on a space near the northmost facing wall. With a quick spell, she cut a clean circle through the concrete foundation and lifted it away, revealing dirt.

She hopped into the hole she made. Taking a deep breath, she erupted into green flame. The body of the beautiful human woman disappeared. What replaced her was a massive, haunched figure. It was jet black, with a thick carapace that covered it from top to bottom. It sported two large claws, the tips of which were sharp enough to cut through stone like butter. Its maw was angular and bug-like. Dozens of tiny black eyes covered its head. A forked tongue snaked out of its mouth, tasting the air.

Chrysalis flexed her claws, letting out a hiss that was the stuff of nightmares. Then she began to dig.

~_~_~_~_~_~_

Anon stood on the other side of a small wooden fence that didn’t go up to his stomach. The fence surrounded a small pig pen, where a family of pigs dwelt. Some were walking around, some were sleeping, some were hovering near the feeding trough, some were just standing still oinking.

As far as he could tell, they were just pigs. Normal, regular pigs just like the ones on Earth. That being said, he had been burned before.

The cows here were just as smart as ponies. They were able to carry on conversations totally fine. Hell, he had seen a group of them knitting hats. They were smart, but the chickens running around were just normal animals, but the goats he had also seen could talk. He had actually found himself apologizing to a goat not an hour ago after he thought they were just a loose animal running around when they were, in fact, going to work in town. The goat was a manager for Filthy Rich’s General Store, and they hadn’t been shy about telling him so.

Why were smart talking critters staying on a farm? Was this like an apartment complex for them? If so, why were they mixed in with dumb animals? And what about deer? He had seen a couple grazing near his house that looked like normal deer, but he swore he remembered Twilight talking about a deer diplomat when he was up in Canterlot.

If the cows and goats and the rest could talk, where the heck were ponies getting their meat? He knew for a fact that Rarity had leather in her store that she used for making clothes. Where exactly did that come from?

One of the pigs looked over at him. Anon jumped, waiting for it to talk, to say hello or to yell at him, but it just let out an oink and looked away. The human looked around to make sure no one was looking. Grabbing the top of the fence, he leaned over it.

“Hey, good morning. Don’t wanna seem rude, but I really need to know if you can talk.”

A pig let out a squeal. Anon jumped again, hurrying away.

~_~_~_~_~_~

The earth was far more forgiving here than the Badlands. Chrysalis only hit one or two rocks bigger than a fist, otherwise she was mostly met with patches of clay and sediment. She dug twenty or so feet down, stopping when she noticed water. It was most likely just some groundwater from rain a week or so ago, but it could also be an aquifer. It made sense in such a temperate, rainy climate.

She had never been forced to deal with so much water, as it didn’t rain in the Badlands, but she was a Changeling. The urge to build a hive was etched deep in her very being. She had dug out her own little hive when she was barely a hatchling, she would be able to do it again. It would take effort of course, but all great endeavors usually did.

Her new hive would start here, a perfect launching pad for any attacks she might wish to unleash upon the hapless ponies. They would never suspect an enemy underneath their snouts. She could build a hive with ten thousand drones ready for battle without them any the wiser. As soon as she had Anonymous’ love, she very well could make that number into the hundreds of thousands.

But first, she would need to figure out where to put all the dirt.

If any creature would have been watching, they would have seen a set of eyes suddenly pop out of the ground a dozen or so feet away from Anonymous’s humble home. The eyes glanced around, and then there was a flash of green flame. Chrysalis, returned to her human form, naked and covered in dirt, climbed out of the hole. She dusted herself off, looking toward the house.

The queen cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing. “Perhaps a garden patch of some kind…?”

~_~_~_~_~_~_~

“Now dontcha be nervous there, fella. I won’t bite ‘cha.”

Marigold, a spotted jersey cow with a bonnet seated firmly on top of her head, let out a giggle.

“Not on the first day anyway.”

Anon was seated on a stool to the heifer’s right. Right in front of him, and underneath her, was a metal bucket. Hanging above the bucket, already dripping with milk, was the cow’s udder. Applejack thought he would be good at milking “the gals” as she called him. Anon had told her he had never milked a cow; he’d never even touched a cow in fact, but the farmer had just laughed, insisted that it was like riding a bike, and had pushed him into the milkery.

The cows were completely understanding and patient with his lack of knowledge, which might have made this worse for him. Dozens of eyes were on him as he licked his dry lips, his hands opening and closing as his hands moved toward the udder.

Marigold watched on with a smile. “Now dontcha be squeezing ‘em too hard at first, dear,” she said. “‘An’ if you go too fast I might lean over an’ headbutt ya.”

“She likes to kick at the bucket too, young fella!”

“Oh hush, Moobaline. I don’t kick. I might moo, but that won’t leave this room, will it young man?”

All of the cows began to giggle amongst themselves. Anon made a face.

~_~_~_~_~_~_

Chrysalis, after placing the circle of concrete in the basement back in its place and hiding her work with some magic, began looking through the house for some material that would help her to be a better wife for her “husband”. It was a bit of a mess down here, piles of everything from knick knacks to clothing to magazines and books all piled up. From what she had been able to gather, much of it was from Anon’s grandparents; things he hadn’t the heart to throw away. The hyoo-man kept it all to honor their memory she supposed, but it did make it more annoying than it should have been finding what she needed.

She found some ancient, yellowing magazines that appeared to be just what she needed. She leafed through each, in no real hurry. “A Woman’s Guide To Her Man” had some vague suggestions, like the ten things that would drive her man crazy. Chrysalis much preferred her food source to be of a sound mind--those gripped with madness never tasted right, and they could be dangerous-- but she supposed that the knowledge might come in handy someday. “A Bride's Business” mostly consisted of recipes and how to clean stains out of clothing. This was much more useful, as it told her that hyoo-man women were indeed the caretakers of the household. “The Lady’s Laugh” was filled to the brim with nothing but articles of women telling stories about their husbands with varying degrees of humor sprinkled throughout as well as how to get one’s man “in the mood”, complete with pages that went into great detail about clothing and sexual positions. Some of these positions were eerily close to those that another magazine insisted would break a man’s mind, but nevertheless Chrysalis found this magazine to be the most useful out of all of them.

The queen read and absorbed all that she could. It appeared as though she was really going to have to cook and clean. These magazines explained things somewhat, but their content was obviously for someone much more well versed in the art of house care and wifely duties. She was going to need to learn the very basics first. Normally, if she wished to learn such a thing she would stalk some unsuspecting critter, but that could carry some risk. What if someone caught her?

As slim of a chance that would be, she still didn’t want to take the risk. No. There was no need to take any unnecessary chances whatsoever. She would have to think about it, but she was confident that she’d come up with a proper plan in no time, and once she did she’d be the best, most beautiful, most terrifying, powerful housewife in the land. Then all the love she’d never need would be hers.

As she was reading a column about a husband who mowed his lawn ten times a week and how it was driving his wife nuts, Chrysalis felt a familiar well of emotion coming toward the house. A minute or so later the front door opened. The queen leapt to her feet and hurried upstairs to see Anonymous, filthy and clearly exhausted, pulling off his boots.

She was about to call out to him, but stopped herself. She instead just stared at him, glad that he had made it home relatively unharmed. After a moment’s recollection, she realized that she had been getting anxious about his return, so much so that reading her magazines had become somewhat difficult ten minutes or so before she felt him. Frankly, she found it shocking.

She had no idea where all this came from, but before she could question herself Anon looked up toward her. The wave of emotion that came her way, happiness, excitement, pride, nearly knocked her off her feet.

“Hey there, beautiful,” he croaked, just seated on the floor, looking as if he could barely hold himself up.

She walked over toward him, her nose scrunching up as she came closer. He smelled like a barn, and not in a good way.

Anon saw her expression and chuckled. “I tripped and fell into the pig pen twenty minutes before my shift was supposed to be over,” he said, finally managing to pull off his boots. “Hey, pigs can’t talk, right?”

“No they cannot,” Chrysalis replied. “They’re simple animals.”

Her words seemed to lift a weight off the hyoo-man’s shoulders. “Thank God. That was messing with me all day.”

“Well… that aside, how was your day?”

“Other than the part I fell into a pig pen? It feels like someone beat me up all over.”

All of Anon’s other emotions dimmed as exhaustion seemed to ooze from his every pour. He looked up at her and smiled as best as he could despite it.

“Hey, Applejack said I was a pretty good worker so far. She said most folks disappear by lunch time, so there’s that. I’ll have a job for a few more days at least.”

Doing her best to ignore the smell, Chrysalis closed the distance between them. She began helping him pull his shirt off, then his pants and his socks. Anon was so tired he made no effort to stop her. These articles of clothing, along with his shoes, were placed outside on the porch. She had to help Anon to his feet, and he leaned against her as she led him upstairs.

“Are you injured?” she asked.

“No, I’m just tired,” he said as she led him into the bathroom. “I’m not used to moving around and working like that. Give me a week or two and I should be right as rain.”

Chrysalis turned on the water in the shower, then turned back to him. “Are you sure you’re suitable for this job?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

“I’m fine, hon,” he said, giving her a thumbs up. “You didn’t need to run me a bath either. All I needed was a five minute breather and I would have been as right as--”

“Nonsense,” she interrupted. “It’s no trouble at all. I am your wife after all.”

She felt joy flair up in him as she said those words. It was very hard not to smile.

“And I’m not just running you a bath.”

Anon seemed confused, right up until she pulled off her shirt and tossed it to the floor. She jutted her chest out, rocking on her heels to make her breasts bounce. He sputtered as she pulled her pants down and kicked them away a few moments later.

“We can’t have you passing out and falling in the shower can we?” she asked matter-of-factly. “Besides, it may not look it, but I’ve had an active day as well. A thorough cleaning will do me some good. Afterwards we can share a meal, and perhaps a movie after that. Does that not sound lovely?”

She gave him a smile, reaching up, she snapped his opened mouth closed, then gave his cheek a playful pinch.

“My tough farming boy. Come on, before the water gets cold.”

Chapter Six

It was a lovely day in Ponyville. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The weather was crisp, with the smell of fall thick in the air. Ponies were walking around, talking, laughing and joking. It all made Chrysalis truly wish she was anywhere else.

She would have loved to be back at the house working on the new hive. Just yesterday she had dug out and fortified two levels right under the foundation. Anon had built her a pair of great big garden beds, meaning she had plenty of room for the tons of dirt. She had also found some more magazines pertaining to the habits of hyoo-man women, and they could have had secrets that she would be able to use. Yet here she was, in town, amongst ponies, creatures so useless that their only real use was as food.

Chrysalis had some appointments today, and as much as she would have liked to push them back to another day, preferably a much, much farther date or not at all even, a real queen did not shirk her duties.

It was about time that she had some clothing made for herself, so she would be going to the dramatic white unicorn to have some made to her exacting and high standards. After that she would see about learning the art of cookcraft. Anonymous had attempted to show her some things, but even with her severe lack of knowledge she could tell that the man could barely boil water. If she was going to keep him healthy and safe so that he would continue to feed her, she’d need to learn how to feed him. Finally, she would need to sneak into Princess Twilight’s castle to steal some books. The alicorn was a dullard, but even she would be suspicious if she asked for books that she should in no way be able to read. She had need of information about gardening; if she didn’t at least try to fill her flower beds with plants, ponies and even Anon might begin to ask uncomfortable questions.

For one so skillful as she, this would all be as simple as pie. The only issue might be keeping herself from blasting a pony across town. She had always prided herself on her understanding and patience, but they were very annoying. One could come along and be so insufferable that she wouldn’t be able to help herself.

“Mornin’!”

Chrysalis jumped, torn out of her stupor as a high-pitched voice filled her ears. She looked around, seeing no one, then looked down toward her feet. A group of three foals stared up at her, wide-eyed. One was a yellow earth pony with a bow, another was a white unicorn with big green eyes, and the last was an orange pegasus with undersized wings. They all had their cutiemarks, but they were all so small that it was clear that they had just gotten them. All three were radiating such curiosity that the queen realized, to her dismay, that she wasn’t going to slip into town quietly as she had hoped.

“...Hello,” she replied.

The foals seemed to grow visibly excited at the sound of her voice. The yellow one stomped a hoof, and the pegasus’ wings buzzed. The white one just continued to stare up at her, unblinking.

“Yer Mrs. Mous, ain’tcha?” the yellow one asked.

She squinted, as if carefully examining her, and then she smiled. “Yep, you gotta be! Yer husband works with my brother an’ sister!”

“I--” Chrysalis began.

“We’re the crusaders!” the pegasus said, far too loudly. “Cutiemark discoverer extraordinaires! It’s nice to finally meet you, ma’am! Some ponies in town thought you weren’t actually real.”

“‘Course she’s real, Scoot,” the yellow one said, turning to her friend. “Ponies were talkin’ about her for the last two days.”

“Well, I didn’t see her.”

“You didn’t see her cause you were at school with the rest of us.”

“I know that! I’m just saying that I didn’t see her, so somepony might have been pulling our tails.”

“But I told you too!”

“Yeah, and you could have been joining in.”

“Why do ya gotta be so ornery like that all the time, Scootaloo? Can’t ya just believe ponies when they say things?”

“What? I’m not ornery!”

“Yeah ya are!”

“Am not!”

“Are to!”

“AM NOT!”

“ARE TOO!”

The foals were now butting heads, glaring at each other. Chrysalis could feel that both were annoyed, but neither were really angry at the other. A pity, since if they would have started really fighting she might have been able to slip away.

The queen loudly cleared her throat. The two arguing children stopped their shouting match to look at her. She pushed down her annoyance, smiling at them.

“Is there something I could help you with, fillies?” she asked. “I do have some things that I really must--”

“You’re very pretty, lady,” the white one said. “Almost as pretty as my sister, and you aren’t even a pony!”

“Well, thank you very much, but--”

“Yeah, you aren’t a pony,” the orange one said, before she narrowed her eyes. “Hey, you aren’t gonna abduct us or anything right? I know Mr. Anonymous said he wasn’t going to when there was that meeting in the town hall, but he never said anything about you.”

“She ain’t abducting anythin’, Scoots,” the yellow one said.

The orange one turned toward her. “And how the hay do you know that, Applebloom?”

The earth pony’s face scrunched up. “There ya go bein’ ornery again! Ya know, I’m really--”

Chrysalis could only sigh.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Anon found himself standing near the pig pens yet again. He had squatted down, staring over the top of the fencing, just staring at the pigs. Just like the other day, they were milling around the pen, sleeping, oinking, and just generally being pigs.

Chrysalis’s words rang in his head. These were not talking animals she had said. They didn’t talk, didn’t have jobs, didn’t pay taxes or any of that. Nothing more than dumb animals.

He watched as a hog meandered over to him. It stood just out of reach, loudly sniffing and snorting the air, watching him. Anon looked around, checking that he was, in fact alone, and leaned forward.

“Hey, can you talk?” he whispered.

The pig said nothing. Its gaze went from his face to his hands. He had brought the slop for its dinner yesterday, so it probably thought he was here to do that again.

They were smart enough to know that, right? He swore he read somewhere that pigs were smarter than dogs, and you really didn’t need to be able to talk to know your feeder. The chickens got excited whenever Applejack walked toward them with a bucket, and they were really, really dumb.

Anon looked hard into the hog’s black, beady eyes, searching for any sign of intelligence. As far as he could tell, there was none.

He lifted his hands to show the pig that there was nothing in them. The pig sniffed the air for a little longer before it let out a snort and turned to waddle its way deeper into the pen. Anon watched it leave, his eyes narrowing.

“...You motherfuckers can talk, can’t you?”

~_~_~_~_~_~_~

After listening to the foals argue with each other for what felt like an hour, Chrysalis had finally lost her patience. She stepped over the group and began walking. Unfortunately, they immediately began to follow, the white one, who she learned was named Sweetie Belle, standing close to her right while yellow one--Applebloom-- and the orange one--Scootaloo-- trotted in front of her. Through a turrent of excited chatter, she was told that they would be more than happy to show her around town and make sure she didn’t get lost. She had no need of their help of course, she had this entire town thoroughly surveyed after her defeat in Canterlot, but she wasn’t going to tell them that.

As she was led through town, ponies took notice. Some smiled and waved, but many just stopped what they were doing to stare at her. Chrysalis couldn’t feel any hostility in them, but even so she felt herself tense under their gaze. All it would take was a suspicious unicorn casting a Changeling detection spell and she’d be found out. Then she would be hunted, and very likely find herself as a lawn ornament.

She did her best to smile, waving at any who waved at her. Each time she did that she’d feel a jolt of excitement from the mare or stallion. Very strange…

“Here we are!” Applebloom said, sweeping a hoof toward quite possibly the most ridiculous building in the entire town. “Sugarcube Corner! Just like ya wanted, right Mrs. Mous?”

“Yes. Thank you very much for your help, filly,” she said, reaching down to pat the foal’s head.

She felt jealousy flare up in the other two. To stop an argument from breaking out, Chrysalis quickly patted them as well.

“You all did very well,” she told them. “Now go run and play. I have business to--”

“You don’t want us coming along?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“No,” Chrysalis said without thinking.

The fillies went from happy to heartbroken in the blink of an eye, complete with lip quivering and teas. They huddled close together, their tails tucked between their legs, staring up at her with eyes that seemed to grow twice as big. This might have broken a lesser creature, but Chrysalis could have punted any one of these foals across town with a smile on her face. That being said, crying children might give her even more unwanted attention.

She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “What I meant to say is that I’d very much enjoy your company for a while longer,” she said.

The tears and sniffles disappeared as quickly as they had come. The foals let out a happy cry, racing toward the bakery’s door. Chrysalis very nearly spun on her heel to walk in the opposite direction, but he forced herself forward.

This annoyance was nothing. She could weather it, as she had weathered so much. It would be remembered, as all the slights and humiliations that these vile creatures had suffered on her had been. When she had an army once more, every abuse would be returned a thousand fold. The thought brightened her mood somewhat as she walked toward the door and pushed it open.

Immediately, the smell of baked goods hit her nose. The sound of chatter and giggling followed right after. It wasn’t quite lunch time, meaning that the shop was relatively empty. Chrysalis could see a gaggle of mares standing near the counter toward the other end of the store. They all seemed to be older and rather well put together from the way they carried themselves. The mare that stood out the most however was the one that stood behind the counter and the one she had specifically come for: Cup Cake, or Mrs. Cake as most knew her.

The earth pony stood with her head tilted upward as if she were a queen in her court. She chatted with the other mares while her watchful gaze swept over her store. When that gaze settled on the foals, they had slowed their gallops to a walking pace when she narrowed her eyes. As Chrysalis stepped into the store that gaze moved to her, and those eyes widened.

Some of the other mares, noticing the reaction, looked over toward the door, which was followed by others until all eyes were on her. Chrysalis didn’t so much as hesitate, walking to the counter with her chin raised high. All chatter amongst the mares ceased as she closed the distance. Even the foals seemed to have enough sense to stay out of her way, moving between two tables to allow her to pass.

“Well good afternoon,” Mrs. Cake said with a warm smile. “It’s wonderful to see you out dear. How have you been adjusting?”

“I’m doing very well, thank you,” Chrysalis said, inclining her head to the mare. “It has been difficult, but I’m taking it day by day.”

The mares around her made sympathetic sounds, nodding their heads. Chrysalis could feel their pity and concern as they looked at her. She bristled at the indignation, but she managed to keep her expression neutral.

“I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” Mrs. Cake said, shaking her head. “Coming to a whole new world at the drop of a hat… Well, at least you have your husband to help you through this.”

“He has been a great help.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Anonymous seems to be a good stallion. I hear he’s working with the Apple’s?”

“He is. He wished to have employment so that I was taken care of.”

A collection of squeals came out from the mares. They smiled and giggled at each other. Mrs. Cake’s smile widened.

“Good for him. I’m sure if he wanted he could give off the crown.”

“My lazy bones hubby would have,” one of the mares said.

“Mine too. And he’d be in his shed even more than he already is,” another said, sticking her tongue out.

The other mares muttered similar thoughts. As they did so, Mrs. Cake waved over the foals, handing each of them a cookie before waving them toward one of the tables. They practically skipped away, sweets in their mouths.

“Look at us squawking like a bunch of hens,” she said, fanning her face with a hoof. “Was there something I could help you with, dear? Would you like some baked goods?”

Chrysalis cleared her throat. “I was actually wondering if I could receive your aid with a very important matter.”

All of the mares leaned forward. The queen could taste their curiosity on the back of her tongue.

“I would be happy to help you in anyway that I can,” Mrs. Cake said, placing a hoof against her chest. “I’m not the only one either. We might not be humans like you’re used to, but Ponyville really is a lovely town with good mares and stallions, and we look after our own.

Chrysalis placed her hands on the counter, leaning forward for dramatic effect. Mrs. Cake and the other mares ate the theater up, leaning so close that some of their muzzles were nearly touching her.

“I don’t know how exactly I got here, but the means of transport did something to me,” Chrysalis said, making a face. “I believe it took memories, even skills. One of which is very important for a married woman such as myself.”

A gasp went out amongst the crowd.

“You forgot how to have sex?” one of the mare’s asked, clearly horrified.

The other mares looked at her with scrunched up faces. One closest to her gave her a light smack on the back of the head.

“There are foals here, Cream Heart.”

“What? I was just asking…”

“Thankfully I remember how to do that,” Chrysalis said without missing a beat. “But I have forgotten the art of cooking meals.”

There was silence as the mares processed her words.

“You don’t remember how to cook?” one of them asked.

“I remember bits and pieces, but every recipe, every hard-learned technique is gone,” Chrysalis replied, looking down at the ground. “My husband is working, and now he doesn’t have a hot meal to come home to because I can’t make him one…”

It was hard not to cackle when the queen felt a wave of horror wash over the mares. There were more gasps, and a mare even fainted. Mrs. Cake looked pale, her mouth set in a thin line. Out of everypony, she was the most horrified. It made sense; this mare’s profession, even her cutiemark from the looks of it, pertained to cooking. To lose that, for her, would be akin to losing herself. Hence, why Chrysalis thought she would be the perfect target for this.

Mrs. Cake loudly swallowed. She forced herself to look away from Chrysalis, who was doing her best to look sad and pathetic, and turned toward one of the mares.

“Could you be a dear and flip the open sign at the front door to closed?”

The mare nodded, wordlessly trotting toward the front door. As she did so, her and a few of the other mares began going around and shooing the few seated patrons toward the door with some hushed whispers. The foals, unfortunately, were allowed to stay for some reason, still happily eating their cookies.

As solemn as a mortician, Mrs. Cake walked around her counter. She stopped right in front of Chrysalis, looking up at the woman with tear-filled eyes.

“Don’t you worry honey. We’re here to help,” she whispered.

~_~_~_~_~_

“Good job today, Anon.”

“Yeah, you’re makin’ real progress. Ya didn’t even fall in any pens today!”

It was the end of a long, hard day. Just like the last few, Anon felt dog tired. Him, Big Mac, and Caramel were sitting around the water pump that the three had just finished drawing water out of for the cows. They were all covered in sweat and dirt, hunched over and just trying to rest for a few minutes before they could find the strength to get up and go home.

Out of the three, Big Mac seemed the least exhausted, thoughtfully chewing on a piece of weed as he sat there. If Anon were being honest with himself, Caramel seemed more dirty than tired as well. They were just sitting here with him to keep him company, which he really did appreciate.

“I’m gonna try not to do that again,” he replied, reaching up to rub his aching shoulder.

“At least it wasn’t as hot,” Caramel said, sniffing the air. “I nearly dropped the other day it was so hot.”

“It’s ‘cause there’s a cold front comin’,” Big Mac said. “We’re gettin’ rain tomorrow, then the weather team is gonna get started on fall.”

“You know, it is weird that you guys get a schedule on what the weather is going to be.”

“Ya’ll really never had that in your world?”

“We tried, and it kind of worked most of the time, but our weather sort of did what it wanted.”

Big Mac grunted. “Must of made farmin’ a nightmare over there,” he said.

“We did alright I think.”

The wind picked up, causing the apple frees to rustle off in the distance. Anon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He let out a grunt, pushing himself to his feet.

“Alright, time to get home to the missus,” he said.

Both stallions stood up as well, shaking the dirt off their coats like a pair of colorful dogs.

“See ya tomorrow, Anon,” Caramel said, bumping his side against the human’s leg before trotting off.

“Get home safe. See ya in the morning,” Big Mac said with a nod, slowly making his way toward the Apple house.

Patting the dust off his pants, Anon began to make his way down the small dirt path that led into town. By the time he made it off the property, much of his stiffness disappeared. Maybe, in a few weeks, he’d be just like Mac and Caramel, just a little tuckered out after a long work day and not half dead. Probably not, but he could hope.

As he made his way through town, in no real hurry, he thought of Chrysalis. He hoped she wasn’t bored, staying at the house all by herself. She insisted that she never was when he asked her, but he had his doubts. He had a lot of books around the house, and tons of movies on his computer, but even so she needed to get out of the house a little.

She said something about going into town yesterday, so there was that at least. She had been vague about exactly what she was going to do, but he figured she was just getting some plants for those flower beds that she had asked him to build. Maybe she was visiting friends? She had said Twilight and the entire town knew about her, so she’d have to be at least friendly with some of them, right? Hopefully she had fun, whatever she did

A smile worked its way onto his face. He wouldn’t have to wonder about it; he could just ask when he got home. She always seemed so happy when he walked through the front door. It made him glad when she’d walk out from whatever part of the house she was in and rush over to hug him and ask about his day. He had never had someone to look forward to coming home to like Chrysalis. Someone so frighteningly smart, and pretty, and who was some sort of royalty. It really made the long, hard days at the farm go by a lot easier.

Walking up onto his front porch, he kicked his shoes off before stepping inside. The smell of cooking food caused him to pause mid-step.

“Chrysalis, I’m home,” he called.

“I’m in the kitchen,” was the reply. “Come here, I want you to taste something.”

Anon tried teaching Chrysalis how to cook. He wasn’t a very good chef himself, and what he had shown her had been mostly meat-based. This, however, didn’t smell meaty at all. Curious, he quickly made his way into the kitchen.

There was the woman, in an apron and absolutely nothing else, stirring something in a big metal pot. She was looking down into the pot’s contents, her brow scrunched in concentration. Lifting the wooden spoon she had in the pot, she gave the contents a taste, added some salt that she had sitting next to the stove, and turned toward him.

A smile that made his heart skip a beat broke out across her face. She hurried over to him, leaping up and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“How was work?” she asked.

“Oh, it was work, hon,” he said.

It was hard to do so, but he managed to look away from her and toward the pot.

“Whatcha cooking?”

“Vegetable stew,” the love horse said, pride clear as day in her voice. “While I was in town the local mares were kind enough to show me a thing or two. I pray you don’t mind, but I wish to use what I learned.”

“I don’t mind at all. It’s been… a long time since I’ve had a decently cooked meal, and from how it smells I bet it’s a lot better than decent.”

Chrysalis let out an excited giggle. She grabbed his hand, leading him over to the stove. She dipped the wooden spoon in the pot and lifted vegetable laden broth up toward his mouth. Anon blew on the stew a few times before giving it a taste.

Sure enough, it was excellent. Chrysalis continued to be able to pick things up at a supernatural rate. He was lucky she was on his side; he had a feeling if she wanted to use this skill to cause any trouble she’d be a very real issue for the entire world. Again, he couldn’t help but feel flattered beyond words that she’d use her gifts for his benefit.

He smiled. Leaning down, he planted a kiss on her nose. “It’s great, dear,” he said.

“Truly?”

“Best vegetable anything I think I’ve ever had.”

Chrysalis frowned. “Now don’t you go mocking me, Anonymous,” she told him.

Anon raised his hands. “I’m not mocking anything,” he said. “I don’t even really like vegetables, but if you made stuff like that everyday I'd eat it without a problem.”

She beamed at his words. “Very good then, but make no mistake. This is only the beginning. Very soon my culinary abilities will be something to behold.”

Before Anon could reply, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down for another kiss. With her free hand, she turned off the stove, then reached down to slip a hand down his pants.

“The stew can sit for a little while,” she said, giving him a squeeze. “Why don’t we go and… get you cleaned up?

Without a moment’s hesitation, Anon scooped Chrysalis up into his arms and hurried as quickly as he could to the stairs. Chrysalis let out a giggle in delight.

Chapter Seven

Chrysalis laid in bed. She was resting on her side, a thick blanket laid on top of her. Her back was pressed tightly against Anonymous’ chest. The hyoo-man had an arm wrapped around her middle. His face was pressed into her hair, his breath tickling the back of her neck. As always, she could feel a continuous stream of emotion flow from him.

The queen could see the alarm a few feet from her sitting on the nightstand. In less than thirty minutes it was set to go off. Once it did, it would unleash possibly the worst sound that she had ever heard. She stared at the thing hatefully, wishing she could blast the box of metal and plastic into a million pieces.

Very soon, the two of them would begin their days, away from the safety, warmth, and comfort of this bed. If Chrysalis were being honest with herself, it wasn’t the nicest bed that she had ever been in, when she ruled her hive she really had one heck of a set up in her bedroom, but it suited her needs just fine. Perhaps, sometime soon, she’d set some money aside in their budget for a nice cloud mattress. One made in Cloudsdale that would stay nice and cool throughout the year.

Anonymous shifted behind her. Chrysalis could tell that he would wake up any moment. He always did, right before his alarm went off. She’d always feel his annoyance as he laid there, trying to go back to sleep before they both heard that horrible sound.

She clicked her tongue. Trying not to disturb the man, she lifted his arm and rolled away from him. She landed quietly onto the wood floor, sneaking around the bed. The chilly morning air caressed her naked body, but she ignored it, stopping at the foot of the bed. She stared at her husband’s unconscious form, her green eyes glowing in the darkness. She tilted her head from side to side, thinking of the best plan of attack. With a minute or so of thought, she nodded, flipped the bottom of the blanket upward, and climbed back into the bed.

With the finesse and grace few could attain, she rolled the hyoo-man onto his back and spread his legs out without him so much as making a snort. She slowly crawled upward until she was face-to-face with her prize.

Even through his underwear and the shower from the night before she could smell him. The rich, alien-yet-very-familiar scent of a male. She pressed her nose lightly against the fabric, inhaling deeply, a goofy smile coming to her face.

She had toyed with pheromones with Anonymous, achieving mixed results. Too much and he couldn’t get a rational thought out, but too little and he wouldn’t even notice. The correct concentration seemed to change randomly and without warning as well. Anonymous, on the other hand, pumped them out as if they were going out of style. It made sense, as hyoo-man’s seemed to have a very poor sense of smell, but her nose was better than most ponies’. Where it might make a mare’s tail flick if she caught a whiff of him, he could make her head spin.

Not that it ever would of course. She was a paragon of will; a fertile male wasn’t going to turn her into some silly broodmare, despite the fact that his smell almost seemed to be tailored for a Changeling Queen. Even so, it was enjoyable.

As she nuzzled the hyoo-man’s groin his cock began to stir. With each little peck and cheek rub she felt him hardening through his underwear, growing longer and thicker under her careful affection. Despite herself, she wiggled her backside as she breathed in deeply, causing the blanket to fall off the side of the bed. She paused, looking up to see Anon still fast asleep. It truly was a marvel just how much the man was able to sleep through.

She looked back down at the underwear and frowned. With a thought, they were teleported into the laundry bin on the other side of the room. Anon’s penis, freed from its confines, sprung up, lightly tapping her cheek.

“There you are~...”

She grabbed him by the base. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth, licking his crown. A shiver ran up her spine at his taste. She angled his cock downward, allowing her to rest his shaft against her lips. Planting butterfly kisses everywhere she could comfortably reach, he continued to get longer and harder. She felt his cock pulsing, blood rushing through the warm organ, engorging the mushroom head. His scent grew stronger, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

Anon let out a sleepy murmur as she wrapped her lips around his cockhead. A slurp cut through the relative silence of the room, followed by a hum of pleasure.

Chrysalis made no move to take more of him into her maw. She could have taken him to the base with no effort and awakened him with the sucking of the lifetime; it was something she had done before. This morning, she wanted a bit more than breakfast in bed however.

Her husband continued to murmur as her tongue lazily circled around his crown. Drool pooled around her mouth, slipping down his shaft and toward his balls. Once his entire cock was thoroughly coated, she let him go with a pop.

She heard Anon let out a gasp but she ignored it, climbing onto her hands and knees. She crawled upward, licking and nipping at his stomach and chest. She nuzzled into his throat, tickling the sensitive flesh with her fangs. Her lips then made their way to his cheeks, then finally his nose to plant a few loving pecks. Leaning back, she stared into Anon’s now open eyes.

The queen smiled. “Good morning, darling,” she said, before lowering herself down onto his cock.

She had made her hyoo-man marehood a tad smaller than Anon’s girth so that she could really milk him. It was something stallions had always seemed to enjoy. While he seemed to enjoy it as well, it did have its challenges. Her lips parted around his tip, but he slipped out of her at the last moment, sliding upward to brush her clit and poke her belly button. She grunted, reaching down to grab him.

“I can--”

“You lay right there. I just need to--”

She lowered her hips. There was pressure, some wiggling, angle adjustment, then penetration. Anon let out a hiss of breath as she inhaled. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to enjoy the feeling of having him inside of her. Reaching down, she traced the edges of her pussy lips. One of her eyes opened. She blew Anon a kiss before, without warning, she dropped her entire weight down.

There was a meaty smack as her rump connected with his hips. She felt his tip barge right into her womb; another liberty she had taken with her new body. For a normal hyoo-man, this would have been very unpleasant, but the pleasure she felt made her legs twitch.

Anon’s hands found their way to her hips. She hummed, placing her hands over his. She rose herself an inch or so before slamming back down. Her husband’s hips bucked, and she felt his tip push even deeper into her. The feeling sent a delightful tingle up her spine, and she let out a coo.

He was so warm inside of her, and she could feel him pulsing. She clenched herself around him, leaning forward. Anon’s hands slid up from her thighs to her ass as she kissed him. His legs shifted, allowing him to get into a position that let him begin to thrust into her.

That was one of the things she really enjoyed about hyoo-man copulation: just how flexible they were. She could never get a pony to twist and bend the way she could have Anon do. Even trying this position with a stallion in her old form would have been a trial to say the least, but as she was it was as easy as breathing.

She met his upward strokes, running her hands up and down his arms and chest. Her tongue curled around his, pulling it into her mouth to do as she pleased. Anon reached back to give her ass a slap, making her giggle. All the while, she felt that mushroom head slip in and out of her womb. In and out. In and out.

“Hmmm~”

She rubbed her nose against his, staring deep into his eyes. Lust poured off him in a wave. He was such a hungry boy, ogling her like some randy donkey. She could tell that he’d like nothing more than to roll her over and pound away until she was carrying his brood. He wanted to touch her, grope her, make her mewl. If he had his way, he’d no doubt make her into nothing more than his docile little cum dump.

She shuttered, her body jerking as she felt herself cum around his cock, soaking the hyoo-mans groin. As her body twitched, she fully appreciated the hyoo-man lack of sensitivity that cursed most stallions. She had never been forced to fake an orgasm for Anon, much to her delight.

Anon’s fingers dug into the meat of her thighs, thrusting into her even harder. He grunted into her ear as she rode out her orgasm. Chrysalis felt a hand reach up to roughly squeeze one of her tits. Anon’s belly heaved as, with a final thrust, that forced his tip so deep that it left her breathless, he began cumming.Color exploded across her vision as she felt the first spurt, then the next, and the next. Her womb was quickly filled, and not long after cum, both of theirs, was leaking around his shaft.

It was only when she felt his loads taper off did the queen remember to breathe. She gasped, blinking away sweat and the hair matted against her forehead, trying to focus her gaze. Anon was still lightly thrusting into her. She could feel his dick try to stay hard inside of her, no doubt wanting to put another load or three into her.

And they say that Changelings were sex demons.

As if on cue, the alarm began to sound. Loud, ear-splitting, it was everything that she could ever hate in a noise. She tried to work up some sort of fury, but she couldn’t quite manage it in her afterglow. Instead, she fell forward on top of her lover, forcing his face into the nape of her neck.

Anon wrapped his arms around her with a kiss. “Good morning,” he murmured.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Take the bacon off the pan. Use the grease for the eggs. Make sure not to use too much salt and pepper. Keep an eye on the toast so that it doesn't burn. Don’t overstir the pancake batter; it’s supposed to have lumps in it.

Chrysalis moved around the kitchen like a dancer, a spatula in hand. Her hair had been put back into a messy bun. Her bare feet pattered against the cold floor as she made Anon his breakfast. Her husband was currently in the shower, cleaning himself off of their lovemaking. He hadn’t done that at first, just putting on clothing and going to work, until one of his coworkers had explained that pony noses were very sensitive. She would have given a great deal to be a fly on the wall during that conversation.

She was still sweaty and sticky from their rutting. Were it not for the pair of panties that she had thrown on, she would have been leaking all over her nice clean kitchen floor. She could have joined Anon, but she had noticed that when she was so close to him, wet and naked, they never left the shower at a reasonable time. Even so, she did her best to keep herself from leaking overly much. It would be a few days before she would wash their laundry, and she hadn’t yet gotten her order of new underwear from Rarity.

Anon stepped into the kitchen just as she flipped a stack of pancakes onto a plate, walking it over and placing it onto the table.

“Smells good,” he said, walking over to kiss her cheek.

“Sit down. I’ll pour you some orange juice,” she commanded.

“Could you put half water and half juice in it?”

“Oh course.”

She watched him shovel food onto his plate, feeling pleased with herself. Her sessions with Mrs. Cake and her followers had increased her cooking prowess greatly. Anon always ate whatever she made without complaint, but lately she felt he was eating just a little more while being happier about it.

This was good. She couldn’t have him growing frail and sickly. She needed him strong and those muscles he was growing from working at the farm to grow and grow until he was the town beefcake. A stallion that all envied, that she could trot around and rub the pathetic ponies’ faces in. She could already do that, to be truthful, but she really wanted to twist the knife.

“Is there anything you need at the market today?” she asked, taking a piece of bacon from his plate and dipping it into some syrup before popping it into her mouth.

“Chicken if they have it,” he said, offering her a piece of pancake, which she gladly ate. “I think we need toilet paper too. Maybe get some strawberries?”

“Alright. Remember to bring some apples from work today. The girls and I are going to try to make jam.”

“Oh, that sounds good. Will do.”

They chatted as they ate. She could feel Anon’s joy feeding her bites off his plate. He always secreted the emotion when she was near, but more so when she was right next to him as she was. She leaned against him, piling more food onto his plate when he wasn’t looking.

Eventually, the food was gone, save for a piece of toast, and it was time for her husband to leave. As he always did, he gave her a kiss on the forehead, told her he’d be back before sundown, and she’d have to stop him before he left the front porch because he forgot to get the lunch she packed for him. She’d watch him walk down the dirt trail, making sure he wasn’t attacked or coltnapped, until he was out of sight.

The queen always felt somewhat anxious and lonely when he left for work, leaving her all alone in this big, empty house. Thankfully, the life of a housewife was a busy one.

She hurried upstairs to shower. As she scrubbed the sweat and cum from her body, she mused on her husband’s fertility. She had been somewhat worried about his ability to impregnate her. Just like with her form, she thought she would need to jump through hoops to be biologically compatible with him. She quickly discovered that there was no need to worry.

Anonymous was able to fertilize Changeling eggs with ease. With some experimentation, she discovered he could do the same with ponies, and gryphons, donkeys, zebras, sea ponies, dragons. She hadn’t tested it, but she wouldn’t have been surprised if he was able to impregnate rocks. This was wonderful, as he had hinted that he wished for a big family. By the time she was through with him, he’d sire tens of thousands.

That was in the future however. For now, was time to do battle in the marketplace.

~_~_~_~_~_

“Four.”

“Eighteen.”

“Four.”

“Twenty-five.”

“Four.”

“You’ll get it for four when Celestia’s sun freezes over!”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. There was only one merchant in town that sold meat; a gryphon by the name of Long Claw. In her limited interaction with the race of big, ugly birds, the queen had found them unreasonable, lacking in basic hygiene, dimwitted, and outlandishly aggressive. Long Claw went above and beyond in exemplifying the very worst traits of his species.

There were very few critters that ate meat in this town. Because of this, the bird assumed that she could charge outlandish prices. It was so bad that Chrysalis was looking into hunting beasts in the Everfree herself, but until she found a place to gut and store any kills she’d have to deal with this creature.

Unfortunately.

“I am not paying eighteen bits for two pounds of pork,” she said through gritted teeth. “I could buy a whole wagon for that price!”

“Well, this meat is imported. All fancy-like,” Long Claw said, examining a claw. “That's why it costs a premium price.”

“You get this meat from the Apples. It comes from up the street.”

The gryphon squinted at her. She clicked her beak, leaning over the stall.

“I’m not going to stand here and be insulted by some stuck-up, shaved ape with giant teats. If you’re not going to buy something, why don’t you bea--”

Chrysalis quickly glanced around the market. Ponies were walking around, buying wares, chatting, going about their business. None of them were looking her way. Good.

Gripped the sides of the stall, leaning down into the hen’s face. Her eyes flashed green as she let out a growl. Long Claw’s mouth fell open as the queen dominated her mind, her eyes becoming unfocused and glassy.

“Give me all the bacon you have,” Chrysalis commanded, trying not to reach over and smack the bird.

Long Claw nodded, drunkenly. “Yes… My… Queen...”

“I’ll have all your chicken as well. If you have any hydra give me some steaks. A pound of fat too for my trouble, you unreasonable creature.”

The gryphon gave her all she asked for, wrapping everything neatly into butcher’s paper. Chrysalis took everything, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. Again, checking that nopony was looking, she reached up and smacked the bird, leaning in close.

“I wouldn’t have to do this every week if you weren’t just so terrible.” she hissed.

Long Claw just stared dumbly ahead, a bead of drool running down her cheek. Chrysalis resisted the urge to strike her again.

“When you get home, I want you to slam your head into the hardest thing that you own.”

“Yes… My… Queen…”

“I mean it. Really whack yourself, and think about your actions. Filthy animal.”

Dropping ten bits onto the counter, she turned onto her heel and walked away. She snapped her finger, and the gryphon blinked, free from the mind control.

~_~_~_~_~_~

“Now, remember honey, you can over knead this dough, especially with those hands of yours. What I want you to do is just knead it until it starts to come together, then we can let it rise for an hour or so.”

Chrysalis, covered in flour, nodded. She used her shirt to wipe a bead of sweat that was threatening to fall from her nose as she kneaded.

Today, Mrs. Cake had decided it was time to teach her about the art of bread making. It was far more complex than the queen felt it should have been. Ponies ate this stuff everyday; it shouldn’t have been that hard to make, but then she learned about gluten and yeast and what different amounts of water did at different times of the year. To add insult to injury, there were just so many kinds of bread!

Sourdough, rye, Wheat, there was flat breads and banana bread, and bread made out of corn. What in the world was pumpernickel?!

All around her, some of the older mares in Mrs. Cake’s little group were making bread as well. They were helping the earth pony with the evening bake rush, for no reason other than to stave off boredom as best as she could tell. There was Mrs. Cake’s skinny, weakling husband as well working the ovens, along with the pink Elements of Harmony bouncing around in the back of the bakery, giggling to herself.

Every pony in the room had their own tips, views, and thoughts on bread baking. The advice was more confusing than helpful, and it did break out into an argument from amongst the mares. Chrysalis just focused on the dough in her hands.

This would be her mightiest challenge yet, but she would exceed all expectations, as she had always done. Anonymous would be able to boast dining on the finest bread in the land. The homemade sandwiches she would make him would be the stuff of legend!

~_~_~_~_~_~

Celestia’s sun hung high in the sky. The smell of flour and dirt was thick in the air. Chrysalis had a gardening trowel in hand and one of her husband’s old t-shirts.

While they were relatively far outside of town, they still had some neighbors that were just a few minutes’ walk. There was an elderly pegasi couple whose names she could never remember. It was them, and the town’s infamous cowards, the flower sisters. The elderly couple was no concern of hers; they could barely eat solid foods, much less siege her home or attack her and her husband. The ones she had an issue with were the earth ponies.

They had come over once to ask for some sugar and they had seen her flower beds. To keep up appearances, she had planted some plants she had bought in the market. The mares had seen them and had been less than thrilled. Some very unwanted critiques were given about the state of her flowers, her flower choice, among other things.

That day, the sisters had earned themselves an enemy for life to say the very least. Once she had an army to take over all of Equestria, they would be the very first to be obliterated. Until that wonderful, well-earned day however, she wasn’t going to just sit there like some buck-toothed jenny and take that lying down. She had traveled far into the Everfree, collecting every exotic and rare looking plant she could find, taking tons of the chaotic dirt along with her as well so the replanting was as easy on the plants as possible.

The flower sisters had turned up a few days after she had finished, and they had been awfully quiet when they saw her work. As amusing as the looks on their faces had been, taking care of plant life that came from the Everfree was considerably more difficult than some potted plants.

They all, from the smallest little flower to the biggest tree-like specimen, seemed to have a mind of their own. Some of them had resisted her attempts to dig up and replant them. A few had also tried to attack her with spores, sprays, and even trying to swallow her whole. Chrysalis dealt with this insolence the only way that she knew how: terror and intimidation. They had calmed down considerably after she had forced them to watch her burn one of their brethren alive while peeling another to pieces.

She hummed a tune to herself as she pulled weeds from around a bright white, glowing fern. It shook as she knelt near it, oozing fear. She smiled sweetly, leaning down.

“You better grow big and lively, plant,” she whispered, just loudly enough for its neighbors to hear. “There are far worse fates than death, and I happen to know several of them.”

She picked up a water pail seated right next to her, giving the fern a good drink. The plant flinched as if struck, its leaves hanging as low to the ground as physically possible. All around her, the other plants were shaking as well, each dreading their turn.

“Mrs. Mous! Mrs. Mous!”

Chrysalis looked up to see a group of foals running up the dirt road toward her. The three “Cutiemark Crusaders” led the pack, their saddlebags filled with notepads and books. Sweetie Belle’s bags were so full, in fact, that things were falling out of it every few steps she took.

It took a considerable amount of willpower for the queen not to groan. For the last month, foals would leave school and rush here for help with their schoolwork. She should have never helped Applebloom with her math homework when the earth pony said she was having trouble with her times tables. The second she was able to help her get all the way through the multiples of seven Sweetie wanted help with her hoofwriting, and Scootaloo wanted to learn about commas and semicolons. When Chrysalis discovered just how poor the pegasi’s hoodwriting was as well, insisted she be retaught. She might have been an evil, love-sucking queen that wanted to rule the world, but even she would not tolerate poor penmanship.

Word spread very quickly around the elementary school class. Mrs. Cheerilee had personally come around the house with some baked goods, a hearty thank you, and a job offer for a teacher’s assistant if she was interested. The foals’ parents were thrilled that their children had their homework done before they came home. They came in a different rotation every day, but no matter rain or shine she’d catch them racing up that road.

At least they were somewhat smarter than the grubs in the hive. Whenever she tried teaching them the difference between a verb and a pronoun they’d spit acid that would melt through her chalkboard. Nevermind what they did when she taught them geometry.

She knew they’d be here with her until later in the evening. No doubt they’ll all want something to snack on and drink. It looked like Silver Spoon was in the back; she’d have to give them all something without peanut butter. There was Snip as well, so she’d need to make sure the colt didn’t eat everything in the darn cupboard.

Chrysalis let out a sigh. She then looked at the surrounding plants.

“Grow.,” she hissed, causing them to shake.

She then stood up, wiped the dirt off her pants, and stepped out of her flower bed. The foals caught up with her just as she stepped up onto her front porch. They all started talking to her at once. About class, and what they had for lunch, and what they did during their playtime; all so loud and so quickly that she might have gotten one word in five. She simply smiled and nodded, making them wipe their hooves on the mat before going into her nice, clean house.

The next few hours passed quickly. There was a history test tomorrow, and the foals were somewhat having trouble with recalling Chancellor Puddinghead’s life and exploits, even with the cheat sheet Mrs. Cheerilee had helped them all with. Biscuit and Chipcutter wanted some help with drawing an aquifer and explaining what it was as well, meaning she had her hands full today.

She had wanted to dig out some more of the underground hive, as she had for the past two weeks, but between this and cooking dinner while helping the children with their lessons it seemed like that would need to be done another day. At least she was able to test the bread she had made this morning out on the foals. They all seemed to enjoy it, especially when she slathered it in jam.

“What is eight times five, Diamond?”

“Forty.”

“Three times six?”

“Um…”

“Don’t look at the sheet. Remember, just add the threes six times if you’re having trouble.”

“Three… six… nine… twelve… Is it eighteen, Mrs. Mous?”

“Do you think it’s eighteen?”

The filly’s face scrunched up. Chrysalis could feel her eyes boring into her as she made some spaghetti sauce. She ignored it. The earth pony was not going to get the answer out of her.

“...Yes, I’m sure,” Diamond finally said with a small nod.

Her mouth moved as she quietly worked through the problem again.

“It’s eighteen,” she said, with more confidence.

Chrysalis looked over at her. “You are correct,” she said.

The filly smiled. The other foals cheered, congratulating her. As they did so, Snips attempted to help himself to another piece of bread. Barely sparing the colt a glance, she snapped her fingers, and the loaf was teleported off the table and onto the counter.

“No more for you, young stallion. You’lll spoil your dinner, and your mother won’t let me hear the end of it,” she said.

The colt blushed in embarrassment, looking down at his notebook. “Yes miss.”

The queen nodded. Bringing her wooden spoon to her lips, she gave her sauce a taste. It would need a little more pepper, but it was perfect otherwise. All she would need to do was get the meatballs ready and Anonymous would have a dinner for the ages. Preparing meat however, meant that the children would have to go.

“Alright, I believe it’s time to send you all home,” she said, putting her spoon down and walking over to the table. “Your mothers will be wondering where you are.”

The foals let out a flurry of protests. It wasn’t that late. They still needed to get work done. Their homes were dumb. Etcetera, etcetera. She let it wash over her as she helped them pack their bags, making sure they didn’t manage to leave anything behind. It was a futile effort, one of them always managed to leave something important that she’d need to rush to the school first thing in the morning, but she did try.

Once all the saddlebags were packed and the crumbs were wiped from their faces, she herded them outside. There she suffered through a chorus of thank yous and hugs. Sweetie Belle gave her a kiss on the cheek as always, and one of the colts gave her a drawing that she’d need to hang up on her fridge. She watched as they disappeared down the trail with a hint of a smile.

Ponies might have been weak, worthless creatures, but she really didn’t mind the children. They were fractionally less bothersome than their adult counterparts.

She hurried back into the kitchen, diving deep into the art of crafting meatballs. It was a tricky, delicate, and downright dangerous process, and she found herself drained as she placed the lid on her pot and set the timer. The queen wiped some sauce from her face and made her way into the living room. With a groan, she plopped down onto the couch.

Ruling an empire had been difficult, but there was something to be said about caring for a household. She felt bone tired, and there were still hours left in the day. Still so much to do before she fell asleep. She closed her eyes, just wishing to rest them for a few minutes

The backdoor opened, and she barely reacted, trying to sink into the couch.

“Do you need me to stir this?” an exhausted voice asked.

Chrysalis responded with a groan.

A minute or so later, Anonymous, covered in sweat, dirt, and dust, shuffled into the room. He walked over, sitting on the floor at the foot of the couch so he didn’t get it dirty. Chrysalis pawed at his head with a hand. Anon reached up, giving it a squeeze as he rested his head against the side of the couch.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” she said, lying herself sideways on the couch to rest her aching feet.

“Hmmm,” Anon replied. “Thank you very much, honey.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Chrysalis continued to paw at her husband’s dirty hair before she got off the couch and sat down right next to him. Dirty or not, she hadn’t seen him all day and desired some affection. Anon wrapped an arm around her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

“It’s gonna be zap apple season in a week or two. The Apples are gonna need me there for extra hours. Sun up to sun down they told me.”

Chrysalis made a face as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. “You could tell them no.”

Anon chuckled. “It’s their busiest time other than when they made cider. I’ll be able to buy you something nice with the overtime money I’ll get. Besides, Caramel told me they give the workers a bunch of jars of the stuff as a thank you. He said it’s out of this world.”

“Well… if you must. I won’t like it however.”

Anon kissed the top of her head. Chrysalis responded by reaching down and giving his thigh a squeeze. She could go into the kitchen and turn off the stove in a few minutes, drag Anon into the bathroom so he could get cleaned up. After dinner, they could watch one of his movies, during which she'd have him do the thing with his tongue that she had come to really enjoy, but until then she pressed her weight against him.

“Chryssi?”

“Hmm?”

Anon took a few deep breaths.

“I was wondering, since I’ll be busy next week and I won’t see you that much, how do you feel about going on a date with me this weekend?”

Chrysalis lifted her head up to look at him. “A date?”

“Yeah. We’ll dress up, go out to eat somewhere. Enjoy ourselves,” he replied, not meeting her gaze.

While he was trying to appear as casual as possible, she tasted his nervousness. Knowing him, he’d been working up the courage to ask her this since this morning. As loathe as she was being around ponies longer than needed, she didn’t have it in her to reject him.

“Why don’t we take a train somewhere for a day or two?” she suggested with a smile.

Relief filled the hyoo-man. “Wherever you want to go we’ll go,” he said.

“I’ll think of somewhere nice,” she replied, rubbing her cheek against his. “Maybe we can--”

As her cheek touched his skin she felt it. It raced through her body like a thunderbolt, stealing her breath away.

Love.

It was love unlike any she had ever tasted. Pure, untainted, unfiltered, intoxicating, otherworldly, perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

It was just a drop at first, then that drop became a brook, which turned into a stream. She found herself lost, twitching and jerking and moaning like a bitch in heat as she was overwhelmed by emotion so delicious and powerful that it nearly threatened her sanity.

Anon jumped in surprise as Chrysalis’s fingers dug into his thigh. He turned to see her twitching, her eyes rolling in her skull as her tongue hung out of her mouth. Before he could even begin to process a proper response, the woman pounced on him.

“MINE!

Chapter Eight

“Come on, Anon. Ya gotta jump higher! We’re almost done fer the day!”

Anon wheezed, sweat pouring from his face. He didn’t know where the Apples had gotten a bunny suit that was his size, nor did he really know the reason why they had gotten him to wear it. He had tried asking them all day, but only received vague answers or just plain gibberish from Granny Smith. What he did know was that he had been wearing this outfit once an hour for around fifteen minutes so he could jump over watering pails. Again, he wasn’t told why he was jumping over pails with Granny or Applebloom, but from how the ponies acted this was a critical part of the Zap Apple harvest.

All this jumping hadn’t been too bad the first day; it had been a nice break from lugging baskets of the electric fruit into the barn. By the third day he had started feeling it, and today he was in continuous pain. His knees, hips, ankles, and for some reason his teeth hurt. He must have sweat ten gallons into this fuzzy outfit. One bad jump and he felt like he’d be down for the count. Still, this wasn’t quite as bad as harvesting the Zap Apples themselves.

The fruit appeared in the apple trees with a bolt of lightning. This made it-- for some stupid magical reason-- pretty dangerous to handle the apples. He had been told touching them with bare skin would give a pegasus a nasty shock. Pegasi had a good deal of resistance to lightning; he did not. This meant wearing rubber gloves and a thick rubber apron. The apples were so volatile that they just couldn’t dump a load of them into a wagon and haul it to the barn either. They needed to be carried in baskets. Where the trees were wasn’t that far from the barn, but when you had to walk back and forth holding a heavy, dangerous thing it quickly became tiring.

There was also something about being nice to bees, and painting polka dots on walls, and yelling at jars, but he did his best not to focus on any of that. All he could do, at the moment, was breathe, make sure he landed without snapping an ankle, and make it over the next watering pail.

“Annnnnnnd… That’s it. I think we’re done fer today!”

Granny Smith, who had been hopping in her own bunny suit since this morning, stopped. Applebloom stopped as well, and Anon nearly found himself jumping on top of the filly with one last sluggish leap. The ancient mare didn’t look any worse for wear. Applebloom looked somewhat winded. He, meanwhile, could barely keep his feet.

“Pretty good work today, everypony,” Granny said with a smile. “Another day o’ two and we’ll have all the apples harvested. Then we can get to cookin’ and bottlin’!”

She hobbled over, giving Anon a gentle pat on his thigh.

“Why dontcha hand over that there outfit, Anon? I’ll give it a wash for the mornin’.”

Nodding, Anon sat down heavily onto the ground. He unzipped his suit, and pulled the top half down his torso then stopped. He looked down at himself, frowning.

“...Granny?”

“Yes hon?”

“I don’t think I can get this suit off,” he admitted. “I’m also pretty sure I won’t be able to stand up.”

Granny Smith chuckled. “I guess we worked ya a lil’ too hard. Applejack! Get yer kiester over ‘ere and help the greenhorn!”

All the Apples had a good natured laugh at his expense as he was helped out of the bunny outfit. Applebloom had gotten him some water to guzzle down while Applejack let him know he wouldn’t need to be doing any hopping tomorrow. It was such good news that it gave his legs the strength to start working again. Even so, Caramel and Big Mac offered to help him home. This meant he found himself on Caramel’s back, his feet dragging against the ground as he walked. Anon had been carried by a friend or two in his life. It was so much weirder in this case.

“You sure you’re alright there, Caramel?”

“Oh sure! You ain’t that heavy, Anon. If’n I do get tired I’ll just get ya on Mac’s back.”

“Yep,” the big red stallion said with a nod as the two made their way down the path into town. “Ya should’ve let us know you were hurtin’ earlier, Anon. We would’ve eased up.”

“It’s not that bad,” Anon replied. “I just had a leg cramp is all. If you would have--”

He tried to turn to talk to the stallion. The movement shifted him on Caramel’s back, and he very nearly ended up falling off the colt. He flailed for a second, and very nearly grabbed Caramel’s mane, but managed to stop himself just in time.

“--I would have been alright in a few minutes,” he said, not knowing what to do with his hands. In the end, he just placed them on his thighs, hoping that Caramel didn’t decide to make any quick and sudden movements.

“You can take the day off if you need it,” Big Mac offered. “Most o’ the work is done.”

“Ah, I’ll be alright after a few bananas and a good night’s sleep,” Anon told the stallion. “Just make sure I don’t get in that bunny suit anymore.”

Both stallions chuckled.

“The newbies always hate that job,” Caramel remarked. “Granny says it builds character though.”

“...Does it?”

Big Mac snorted, and nothing more needed to be said.

It was very weird and embarrassing to ride a coworker and friend’s back like he was a horse at some crappy petting zoo, and only got worse the longer Anon did it. Thankfully, there weren’t many ponies milling around town as they passed through. Some foals did have a good laugh at his expense, which made him cringe. No doubt the little tikes would let his wife know the next time they came to the house to get some help with their homework.

A smile came to his face. His wife. The most beautiful creature that he had ever known; the person that made him want to get up in the morning. If he didn’t have her, he knew deep down there was no way in heck that he’d still be working himself to death at this farm. He’d probably be living with a nice little stipend given to him by the princesses, sitting around his house like some fat slob without a care in the world.

His pap always said finding a good woman was like finding a pair of oars in your boat while you were floating down a river. He had always shook his head when the old man had said that, but now he sort of got it. With Chrysalis, he did have a goal; he wanted to make her happy. Well, he wanted a lot of things, but all of them revolved around her happiness. He’d work Zap Apple season all year round to do it too.

By the time they got to the path toward his home, Anon’s legs were rested enough that he was able to get off Caramel and walk. He was still wobbly, and his knees and hips ached, but there was no way he was going to let Chrysalis see him being carried like a sack of potatoes if he could help it. She already thought he was working too hard on the farm.When the kids eventually told her what they saw today she’d probably be upset. If she saw him being carried up onto the front porch she might try to fight Applejack.

He chuckled at the thought, turning toward the stallions. “Thanks for the help, boys. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You don’t gotta come tomorrow.”

“I will. See you bright an’ early.”

Getting up the steps was a good deal harder than he would have liked to admit, but Anon forced himself up each step. Giving both stallions, who looked pretty concerned, a wave, he opened his front door and stepped inside.

The smell of cooked food filled his nostrils. The warmth of the house contrasted with the chill outside. The light in the kitchen was on, but most of the house was dark.

Anon let out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding. For a second, he allowed himself to wallow in his aches and exhaustion. It really did feel like he had just gotten through an all day ass beating. He felt so tired that he could have melted into the floor.

“Anonymous?” a voice called from somewhere in the house.

Some of the exhaustion went away, and he found himself smiling. “I’m here,” he replied.

He heard someone rushing through the house. A second later, Chrysalis walked in. She was wearing sweatpants and an undershirt, with her hair tied up into a messy bun. No bra either, which he found himself appreciating as she marched right up to him. She looked annoyed, but there was concern in her eyes as she examined him.

“Are you alright?” she asked, reaching up to touch his cheek.

The sound of her voice sent a pleasant tingle down his body. It was sappy, but he really had missed her while he had been working.

“I’m as right as rain, honey,” he said with a smile.

Chrysalis clicked her tongue. “Well, you don’t look it,” she replied.

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked as if she were going to say more, but instead she let out a little sigh. She reached down, grabbing his filthy hand.

“Do you need help getting up the stairs?” she asked.

He looked at the stairs. There was twenty of them by his counting. He had barely managed the three to get up onto his porch.

“I would appreciate it,” he replied.

Shaking her head, Chrysalis snapped her fingers. A green magical glow surrounded his legs. He felt lighter, and far more stable as he shifted from one leg to the other. Still holding his hand, the love bug began to lead him toward the stairs.

“I really don’t enjoy you coming home half dead,” she said over her shoulder. “The Apples are working you to death.”

“I’m fine, sweetie. I’m just a tad worn out is all.”

“You are not just worn out.”

“I am. Honest.”

“If I were to stop my spell and let you move under your own power, would you fall down these steps right now?”

Anon made a face. He reached up to pinch Chrysalis’s butt with his free hand. The love horse’s grip on the other tightened.

“So, how was your day? Did the kids come around again? How did they do with that spelling test?”

Chrysalis paused mid-step. Though he couldn’t see it, he knew a smile broke out across her face.

“They all did very well. Not a one got below a B. They told me Mrs. Cheerilee was so happy with them all that they’re going to have a pizza party this Friday. They insisted that I come to the school house to join.”

“You should. You did as much as the teacher helping them I bet. You deserve some pizza.”

“I think I’ll wait and see if Mrs. Cheerilee will come to the house with an invitation. Children are children, and I don’t want to assume just on their word.”

Once they both reached the top of the stairs she turned to look at him.

“And don’t think you poorly attempting to change the subject means I’m just going to let your mistreatment slide.”

“It’s not mistreatment,” Anon insisted. “I’m not doing anymore or any less than anyone else there.”

“They are earth ponies that have farmed their entire lives. You are not. You trying to match what they do is going to end up in injury,” Chrysalis said, poking his chest with a finger. “If you think I’m upset now, just wait until I hear that you’re in the horsepital because you wouldn’t listen to your dear wife.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped himself at the last moment. He knew Chrysalis could argue circles around him if she wanted to. Trying would just get them both upset. Chrysalis had never gotten so mad she didn’t make dinner for him, but he didn’t want to risk coming home to nothing either. Going without her cooking might be worse than these work days.

“You’re right, dear,” he said, looking at the down carpet with what he hoped was an understanding expression. “Its just a few more days though, then it’ll go back to normal.”

He felt a hand touch his chin, forcing him to look up. Chrysalis’ expression softened, but she still looked less than happy.

“I do not like worrying about you,” she said, with a tone that made him feel like he had been punched in the stomach.

It nearly made him break, hearing just a hint of pain in her voice. He knew she missed him when he was gone, and just how much she didn’t like him coming home like he had been. He nearly told her that he could have the day off tomorrow, and that they could just relax together.

But he couldn’t. This was for her. He just had to stick it out. Had to.

He reached up, grabbing her shoulders. Giving them a gentle squeeze, he pulled the love horse into a hug. Her warmth and the smell of her hair as it tickled his face hit him like a train. She was so much better than he deserved. So smart, so beautiful, so kind and thoughtful. Just the most perfect creature that he had ever known, and would probably ever know.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

He hugged her as tight as his aching arms could manage, hoping she could feel his love. Chrysalis twitched as he held her. She said something under her breath, hugging him back as he tried his best not to cry like some little kid.

“I love you too,” she replied, reaching down to give his butt a pinch. “Now, enough of this blathering. Let’s get you cleaned up and fed. I made us burgers.”

~_~_~_~_~_~

The gardens of Canterlot were silent as Princess Twilight Sparkle walked through them. They were silent, but they were anything but empty. Guards walked the grounds and patrolled the skies. Golden armor and glittering spears were everywhere, and for good reason. Along with the members of the guard were the black chitin garbed Changeling honor guard. They carried no weapons, but Twilight knew with their ability to transform there was no need.

There must have been over a hundred guards in the garden at that moment, and many more stationed at or around the castle. Everypony was on edge, and had been for the last two days. Twilight herself was no exception, but she did her best to mask her worry. A princess had to be confident after all.

Beside the alicorn walked King Thorax. As majestic as the Changeling was, he did a much poorer job of appearing calm and collected than her. Twilight could see his tension as he walked, his jaw clenched. She could clearly see fear in his purple eyes as well.

Without a second thought, she laid a wing over him. “You don’t need to be here for this, Thorax,” she said, slowing her pace to a halt.

Thorax looked down at her, then down the path they were both taking. He visibly swallowed.

“I…” he began. “I need to be here for this. In case something happens.”

“There are enough guards here that she shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You don’t know that.”

Twilight didn’t, but nevertheless she smiled. “Yes I do, and even if that isn’t the case she might not attack us outright. Remember what Starlight said right after she destroyed your hive in the Badlands. She almost accepted the offer of friendship.”

“That could have just been a way for her to get Starlight to put her guard down, Twilight.”

“Maybe, but we can’t just keep her the way she is. Tirek is far too dangerous to be freed yet, but Cozy is acclimated very well with Pinkie’s parents at the rock farm.” Twilight’s face scrunched up for a moment. “She might not be exactly where we want her to be, but she’s making progress, step by step. If we were able to calm her down and listen to us, and she saw how things were at your new hive now, she might become a totally different ling.”

Thorax took a deep breath. Twilight watched as he stood a little straighter. “You’re right, Princess,” he said. “For all the bad that she’s done, we can’t keep her as a statue forever. We have to at least try to get her to see reason.”

The Changeling shook his head slowly.

“It’ll be hard, but we just might be able to do it.”

With another deep breath, the king began walking purposefully down the path, his chest puffed out in determination. Once he was a few feet away, Twilight released the breath she had been holding. Tucking her wing back against her side, she followed after him.

The two walked for a few more minutes before coming upon a clearing, where two statues sat. They had once been two of the most dangerous foes that Equestria had ever faced. One was the King of Calamities, the Eater of Spells, Tirek. The other was Mistress of a Thousand Faces, The Head of the Swarm, and the Ex-Queen of the Changelings, Chrysalis. Both villains were in the same position as they had been before they had been turned to stone. Tirek, shying back in terror, while Chrysalis was midleap, her fangs bared, fury on her face.

Thorax faltered for a moment seeing his old queen. Twilight watched as his wings buzzed in what she had learned was a Changeling display of anxiety. She quickly trotted up so that she was once again beside him. Both of them said nothing, just staring at the statues, readying themselves for what was about to lie ahead.

“Would you like to help me release her?” Twilight quietly asked.

Thorax jumped, pulled from some quiet inner thought. His head snapped toward Twilight, and he cleared his throat.

“I… um… yes. Yes. I’ll help you,” he said. “Will we need to get out of the way or incapacitate her when she’s back to normal?”

“The transformation process is extremely disorientating from what Discord told me,” Twilight replied. “She shouldn’t be in any state to try to hurt anypony at least for a few minutes. If that isn’t the case, well…”

She gestured toward the guards, who, as one, pointed their spears at the ex-queen.

That seemed to calm the king down somewhat. He took a few more deep breaths, then nodded his head. He closed his head, and his antlers began to glow. Twilight also channeled magic through her horn. Their magical auras expanded, then meshed together. Without words, they focused the power, manifesting their wills into the correct spell, which they launched at Chrysalis.

There was a bright flash of light that forced the guards to turn their heads. A thunderous crack filled the air, then another, then many more. As the light died away, the stone crumbled away from Chrysalis, who faceplanted into the ground so hard that her horn stuck into the dirt at least six inches. The ex-queen let out a shriek of surprise, her hooves flailing, and her wings buzzing as she found herself once again conscious.

It was hard not to chuckle at the sight, but Twilight contained herself. This was a delicate, serious situation. Laughing would probably be a bad idea. That being said, she was absolutely going to tell the girls when she got back to Ponyville.

She cleared her throat, taking a few steps forward. “Chrysalis? Are you alright?”

The ex-queen paid her no mind. She was mumbling to herself, trying to pull her horn from the ground.

Thorax stepped forward. “Chrysalis,” he said, then paused.

A look of confusion came to the king’s face as he looked at the ex-queen. Before Twilight could ask him what was wrong, he hurried over to her.

“Thorax, what are you--”

The king poked Chrysalis with one of his antlers. The ex-queen disappeared into a ball of green flame. She let out a yelp at the unexpected contact, falling backward. What fell onto her rump wasn’t Chrysalis. It was a Changeling, black and covered with holes; just like they all had been during the siege of Canterlot. The ling rubbed its gnarled, twisted horn, mumbling.

A confused silence flooded the gardens. Ponies looked at each other, unsure just what had happened. Thorax, now pale, turned to the princess.

“That wasn’t Chrysalis. You didn’t capture her, Twilight. She’s free.”

~_~_~_~_~_~

Today had been a quiet day. Chrysalis hadn’t gone to the market for shopping, and Mrs. Cake had taken a day trip to Canterlot with her husband and children, meaning she hadn’t had a cooking session either. That fool Twilight Sparkle also hadn’t invited her to the castle to learn more about her “culture”. Not even the children would be coming over, as they had a long weekend. Other than some light cleaning, and prepping dinner, the queen hadn’t done all that much.

It would have been a perfect day to dig out more of her hive, or perhaps search the Everfree for an ideal route for when she would march on Canterlot, ahead of an unbeatable army. No matter how hard she tried however, she just couldn’t find the drive to do so.

It was the last day of Zap Apple season. She had been told it would be an easy day with Anonymous and the Apples just jarring and storing the jam. Anon had assured her that he would be home before lunch in fact. While that proclamation had been said last night with complete sincerity and confidence from her husband, lunch had come and gone, and he still wasn’t here.

To say that she was less than pleased was the understatement of the century.

She had humored him working himself to the bone for days on end. She hadn’t said anything to the Apples about having to nearly carry Anon up to their bedroom every night. She had forgiven his aches and pains, and the exhaustion that had hung over him like a thick blanket. There had never been a more patient, kind, and understanding queen as her; to humor these pitiful ponies by allowing them to use her husband as if he were a wagon or some other ridiculous pony device.
That patience had reached its end thirty minutes ago.

She missed her husband. She hated seeing him hurt himself because he was too kind to say no. She wanted to snuggle with him on the couch, or in their bed. She wanted him in the kitchen helping her cook, or folding their laundry together, or going into town to get ice cream at Sugarcube Corner.

They hadn’t even been intimate since this blasted harvest started. He had been so exhausted these last few days that they hadn’t been able to rut, and after getting used to going multiple times a day to this dry spell was beyond taxing.

She was done. Done. No more mister nice queen. She was going to get up, march over to Sweet Apple Acres, and she was going to give them a piece of her mind. They wouldn’t so much as look her way when she went to the market after she was done with them! In fact, she was going to insist that Anonymous find another job! Somewhere where the employers were a bit more mindful about their workers’ lives!

Once she had done that, she was going to drag her husband home and see what fate befell those who didn’t regularly please their queen. She was going to do things to him that would utterly ruin him for any other species, and she was going to do it again and again and again. After she was done with him, working from sunup to sundown would be a trifling thing!

With a snarl, she pushed herself to her feet. Just as she was about to march toward the door, she heard the doorknob turn. The door opened, revealing her husband, holding a big brown bag in his arm.

Seeing her, he smiled. “Hey ho--”

“Where were you!?” Chrysalis demanded.

Anonymous jumped, obviously confused by her aggression. “I, um, well, I decided to go to the market to get us something to eat for tonight. To celebrate the harvest being over.” He showed her the bag. “I was going to make spaghetti. Unless you wanted something else?”

The queen’s eyes narrowed. She could feel a nervousness inside of him, one that he was desperately trying to keep hidden. The thought of him being nervous because the Apples had convinced him to work even more hours immediately came to mind.

“You did something else?” she said, making it a statement and not a question.

To her surprise, Anon’s face went flush. He looked down, then gave her a little nod. Not looking her in the eye, he made his way toward the kitchen. Chrysalis was right behind him, just ready to hear the news that he was going to have to go into work tomorrow. Oh, the things she was going to do to that old fart Granny Smith!

Anon placed the bag into the kitchen table, and he turned back toward her. “A few weeks before harvest, Mac told me that the Apples like to give the workers a nice bonus at the end along with a few jars, which I have in the bag there too. I was, um…”

He shifted from left to right, scratching his face. Chrysalis could feel the nervousness in him build. Slowly, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. Staring at it for a moment or two, he offered it to her.

The queen looked at him, then the box, her anger giving way to confusion as she took the box and opened it. Inside, surrounded by fine velvet cloth, was a golden ring. Her eyes widened at the sight of it.

“I had Applebloom measure your ring finger. That, uh, math thing where the kids were measuring your hands was actually her idea, so you wouldn’t catch on. It still might be a little off, but the jeweler said we can just come back and they can fix it.”

Chrysalis couldn’t even begin to form words. She just continued to stare at the ring.

“I didn’t know what kind of ring you would have wanted, but the mare that worked there said people really liked this kind,” Anon continued, rubbing his hands together. “I’m sorry if it’s a little plain, but with how much you run around I thought you wouldn’t want any gems or anything that might--”

“Anon… what is this?”

The hyoo-man did an anxious little shuffle. “I know you said we were destined to be together, and we already tell folks that we’re married, so I thought… well, I thought we’d make it official. Getting married I mean.”

Chrysalis wanted to look at him as he spoke, but she still couldn’t take her eyes off the ring. She had seen wedding rings before, many much nicer than the one in her hands, but this one was different. This one was for her. Not a disguised version of her, not while she was mind controlling a pony and they thought she was somepony else. It was for her.

Slowly, carefully, she took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger. It fit perfectly.

To think she was tricked by a group of foals for the measurements. She had been so busy checking the spelling for a homework assignment she hadn’t even questioned when they asked to see her hand. As a Changeling Queen, she could admire such deviousness. They would need to be rewarded for it next time they were over.

“I actually saw Mayor Mare right after I got the ring,” Anon continued, oblivious as she admired her ring. “She said it’d be perfectly fine if we came around to get it done. I was thinking we could have a couple people to witness while we do it. It doesn’t need to be a big deal--”

The queen grabbed him by the collar, pulling him into a kiss, shutting him up. Anon tensed for a moment, his anxiety flaring for a moment, then disappearing all together. Relief and, more importantly, love replaced it. Chrysalis allowed herself to bathe in the emotion for several seconds as her tongue tickled his tonsils, then broke the kiss.

“As I said months ago, you are mine. Ring or no ring,” she said, giving him a measured look. “That being said, this is…”

To her shock, she found herself at a loss for words. She placed her hands on his shoulders, just looking up at his handsome face.

“This is a delight. It means more to me than I even realize, I think.”

A great big smile broke across Anon’s face. “Really. Good! Does that mean you wanna get married for real then?”

The queen couldn’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm. “I would like that. Very much.”

Anon was about to say more, but she brought a finger to his lips.

“But, for now, there is something else I would like very much from you, my darling dear.”

The hyoo-man blinked. “What’s that, dear?”

Chrysalis snapped her fingers. His pants and underwear disappeared off his body, teleported upstairs unto their laundry bin to be cleaned later. Anon yelped, looking down at himself in surprise. She only let him gawk for a moment before placing a hand under his chin and forcing him to look back up at him.

“A child.”

Chapter Ten

Forty-eight guards. Fifteen unicorns, twenty-two pegasi, and eleven earth ponies. They patrolled Ponyville in groups from morning to night, ever on the lookout. Once in a while, there would be a Changeling drone amongst their ranks as well, attempting to blend in the crowds of ponies.

It had taken two days for Chrysalis to get a measure of the soldiers, their mannerisms, where they liked to go at certain times of the day. Names, voices, how they held their weapons, who they flirted with, which ones were easy going or by the book; she took in as much as she could. She did stick out like a sore thumb amongst the townsfolk, but they paid her no mind, allowing her to sit amongst her friends, enjoy a sunny day, and learn the best ways to be unseen by the armored morons.

She didn’t bother attempting to learn anything from the drones that would tag along with the guards. A single glance told her that none of them knew what they were looking for. The fools could barely transform, much less detect when somepony else was doing so. Even if they could, this form was fully hers now; even another queen would have issue detecting her. After the second day, she was easily able to move wherever she wished without being seen by anypony in golden armor at any time in the day. It came just in time as well, as while the drones couldn’t tell a Changeling from a hole in the ground, the unicorns did have spells that could negate her transformation and turn her into her original self, and under Princess Twilight Sparkle’s order they had been randomly stopping ponies to cast it on them.

This all made things more than a little annoying, but Chrysalis was forced to push ahead. Her wedding was in just a few days, and there was so much to do.

Anon had wanted them to just go to the courthouse with just a few close friends, but as soon as word spread that plan had been blown to smithereens. Chrysalis hadn’t realized just how well-liked she was amongst the townsfolk. The moment that they heard she was getting “remarried”, she had dozens of mares coming to her house insisting that they do something proper. A cake, a dress, a nice, quiet spot at Sweet Apple Acres, food, dancing; a regular country jubilee. All supplied by them of course. A thank you for all the work she had done with the kids, she had been told.

Both her and Anon attempted to protest, but then the foals came to the house one day with drawings, and Sweetie Belle and the fillies started asking if they could be flower mares. While she had ruled an empire and toppled nations, Chrysalis found it nigh impossible to say no to children with puppy dog eyes. So, against her better judgment, she found herself at Mrs. Rarity’s boutique; possibly the last place she wanted to be.

This wasn’t because she was really against having a big wedding. It was sweet that so many of her neighbors wanted to see her get married for what they thought was the second time. No, the issue was with Rarity herself. The elegant and refined mare was, without a doubt, a pervert.

The moment that Chrysalis had stepped foot in her establishment she had felt the lust oozing off the walls. The mare found some sort of sexual gratification dressing others up, though she hid it very well. She wasn’t winking unabashedly, or staring, or flirting, or doing much of anything other than being a professional. In fact, if she wasn’t able to sense her emotions, the queen would have no idea that the unicorn was enjoying her work far more than was healthy. Knowing the mare was quietly getting off to all she did was so much worse than if she was just a regular horndog that made a scene. Still, She was the only dress maker in town, and she had offered her services for free to boot, so she’d have to deal with the degenerate until she was walking down the aisle.

The bell attached to the boutique’s front door jingled as she opened it and stepped inside.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique. Where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique,” Rarity called from somewhere deeper into the shop. “I’ll be right with you, darling.”

Chrysalis looked around, a shudder running through her. She could feel the lust flowing from the mare in an even greater concentration today. No doubt it meant she was going to be in rare form. Lucky her.

“My apologies. I was in the middle of-- oh, Chryssi! Why didn’t you say it was you, dear!”

Rarity, her red-rimmed glasses threatening to fall off her muzzle, trotted into the waiting room. Around her neck was a measuring tape, and floating beside her head was a pin cushion filled to bursting with pins.

“I was in the middle of working on your dress. Come and see,” the unicorn said with glee, grabbing her hand with magic.

Trying her best not to shudder again, Chrysalis allowed herself to be led into the boutique’s main room. There were dozens of pony mannequins with dresses as well as scraps of cloth adorning their frames, but, in the end of the room by the window, was a mannequin that Rarity had made especially for her.

It had been somewhat difficult designing the perfect wedding dress for a hyoo-man woman. Chrysalis, of course, had no idea what their species wore for marriage, and she had never thought to ask Anonymous since she hadn’t considered actually getting married until he brought the idea up. Thankfully, Rarity had taken her lack of knowledge for a desire to make simply the most perfect dress, and while the mare didn’t have a large number of bipedal clientele, she had been eager to sink her teeth into such a challenge. Together, they both had gone through a dozen designs, the latest being what Rarity had turned from paper and ink into cloth right in front of her.

As much of a degenerate as the mare was, Chrysalis had to admit that she knew her way around fabric. Even in its obviously unfinished state, the gown was breathtaking. Simple yet elegant, flashy but subdued. It was the sort of outfit that a queen should be seen in.

“It is still in the beginning stages, but I think it’s turning out quite nicely,” Rarity said, trotting over to the dress, her tail wagging as she walked around the mannequin. “What do you think, dear? Is it too much? Too little? Just the right amount but somehow nowhere near enough?”

“It’s… beautiful,” Chrysalis replied. “Far more work for a simple wedding deserves, Rarity.”

The unicorn let out a scoff. “Simple wedding? Oh, poppycock, dear. From what I’ve been told your wedding will be something to behold! It won’t be a royal wedding of course, but I imagine ponies will be talking about it for years to come. Now, while I have you here, would you mind if we were to do a fitting?”

Rarity trotted up to her with big, pleading eyes. They were an almost identical match to Sweetie Belle’s, though ruined by the wave of eager lust pouring from the unicorn.

“I know you’re busy, but I’ll do my best to be quick. I’d just like to be totally sure this gown will be a perfect fit.”

Chrysalis didn’t need to sense emotions to tell that was a lie, but even so she did her best to smile at the mare. “I’d be delighted.”

The pitch of the squeal Rarity let out would only be heard by bat ponies as she tap-danced around the room. Chrysalis did her best not to roll her eyes while she kicked off her shoes and began to undress. Usually, she’d be a bit more hesitant to undress around a pony. The little buggers were extremely curious about what was under her and Anon’s layers of clothing, and she could feel the eyes and taste the lust from both sexes whenever she went to the market, but with Rarity she didn’t have that worry. The unicorn didn’t give a fig for her nude, sexy form, only the thought of putting clothes on it.

In a flash, Rarity had the dress draped over her body, pulling and tightening, adding a quick stitch here or some pins there. Scissors and rolls of cloth floated into the air, as well as bundles of thread and needles. Chrysalis did her best to stand perfectly still as it all weaved around her, so as not to be stabbed.

“So, how is your husband? Is he ready for his big day?” Rarity asked.

“He’s excited,” Chrysalis said. “A bit confused, but touched that everyone wanted to throw a big wedding for us.”

“We’re happy to do so, darling, especially after all the help you’ve been with the foals.” Chrysalis felt Rarity give her side an affectionate nuzzle. “You should hear Sweetie Belle. She just goes on and on about you.”

The lust disappeared from the unicorn for a moment.

“You also do so much for poor Cheerilee. The mare had been running herself ragged trying to teach the entire class. With you in the evenings she has had so much more breathing room for her lessons. Let’s also not forget all the treats and goodies you’ve given ponies. You haven’t been here long, darling, but I promise you that you’re a valued member of this community.”

Chrysalis couldn’t understand why, but she felt a warmth in her chest at the unicorn’s words. “I’m… glad.”

Rarity nodded, and the moment was torpedoed when the lust came back in full force. “Be sure to move and stretch dear. I need to see just how much this gown might need to take.”

_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

If Rarity would have gotten her way, they’d have been at it for the whole day and most of the night, but Chrysalis was only able to stomach an hour or so before she made her excuses and left the shop. The constant, non-stop chatter she could handle, but so much lust for so long gave her a headache. Thankfully, the gown was very nearly done. One more fitting and she’d be ready to walk down the aisle, or so Rarity insisted.

She made a quick stop at Sugarcube Corner, were Mrs. Cake practically frollicked to and fro. Ever since she had asked the earth pony to be her maid of honor, she was almost certain that a smile hadn’t left her face. Out of every pony in town, she might have been the most excited for their wedding. The queen had to give Mr. Cake the bits behind her back for their catering services since Mrs. Cake refused any payment. The stallion hadn’t been all that thrilled to take her money, but his wife seemed intent on making enough food to feed most of Equestria, so Chrysalis insisted. She might have been an evil queen, but even she knew the value of paying one for their hard work.

The two chatted, and Chrysalis was led back into the kitchens to see an absolute mess. Pinkie Pie, usually a ball of energy, was obviously tired. There were bins upon bins of baked goods, and pallets piled high with bags of flour ready to churn out more. Mrs. Cake had her try some cookies that would be at the reception, and let her know she was about to start on her wedding cake. There had been a glint in her eye as she said it that made the queen somewhat concerned, but she trusted her friend. All she asked was that the mare not work too hard on her account; a request that was unabashedly ignored as she was led to the door with a nuzzle and a goodbye.

Outside, Chrysalis found herself leaning against the shop’s door frame, staring up at the sky. She smiled.

“Sir, please just hold still for a moment.”

“This is ridiculous! Everypony here knows who I am!”

“I’m sure that’s the case sir, but we really need to--”

“I don’t care who the hay is running around! You can’t just cast spells on ponies!”

Near some food stands, an older stallion was shying away from a pair of guards. The old colt was wagging a cane at them, frowning only as the elderly could. The pegasus guard was very clearly bored, while his partner, a smaller unicorn mare, looked exasperated.

“Sir. This spell is perfectly safe. We just need to make sure--”

“You ain’t making sure of nothing!” the stallion grumbled. “You’re not using that fancy magic to turn me into no frog!”

“Sir, we don’t…” The mare let out a sigh. “It’s to see if you’re a Changeling.”

“A what?”

“A Changeling.”

“One of them fancy, prancy bug critters? Why’d I be one of them?”

“Sir, there was a town meeting explaining why the guard is here yesterday.”

“Bah! I only go to them things to eat the free food and use the toilets since they got the bar that helps me stand back up.”

The mare covered her face with a hoof. As she did this, her partner leaned toward her.

“I’ll distract him, you hit him with the spell. If we do it quick enough he won’t even notice,” he whispered.

The mare’s ear flickered. She gave her partner a sideways glance, then gave him a small nod. Giving her a wink, the stallion cleared his throat.

“Sir, look at that over there! They’re having a big discount on chocolate pudding!”

The old stallion’s head snapped around so quickly that an audible crack filled the air, making both guards wince.

“Pudding?! Oh, the missus would love that. Where did you say it was, son?”

As the old coot looked around, the mare’s horn lit up. In the blink of an eye, her spell shot out. It would have hit the stallion right between the eyes, but at the last moment he turned back toward them.

“Are you sure you’re seeing that right, boy? I did--whatintarnation?!”

The spell hit his thick bifocals, bouncing off and causing it to fly off into the air. It flew over ponies heads, through stalls, right past the water fountain in the middle of the market, bouncing off the head of the metal Celestia seated in the middle of it, and toward Chrysalis. The queen, still watching the cloud crew up above kicking some thunderclouds apart, had no chance of getting out of the way.

There was a pop, and a flash of light. The queen blinked. Why did she feel so much shorter? Why did it feel as though her balance was entirely off? In fact, if she didn’t know any better, it felt as if she was no longer standing on her feet.

Her eyes crossed, and she looked at what was very clearly a muzzle right in front of her. She blinked again, lifting up and examining a hoof.

“Oh shit--”

“What the heck are you doing, young lady?!”

“Oh shoot. Did that hit somepony?”

Without thinking, Chrysalis barrel rolled away from the door. In two hops, she was able to launch herself into a nearby bush. It was much too small for her to properly hide in, so, seeing that, she slid herself under a stall. Her horn stabbed into the wooden frame, causing her to let out a whispered curse. Before the stall’s owner could see what had hit their livelihood, she was moving to the next hiding spot.

Most ponies were focused on the elderly stallion tearing the guards a new one. Those few that weren’t watching the commotion were just barely able to make out a black blur that scurried around stalls and ponies, ducking and weaving and sliding and hopping. If they had looked very carefully, they might have seen a pair of huge, panicked eyes just before the blur disappeared into an alley.

The only one that did get a proper look at the Changeling was a little foal, who waved at her as she raced by. She tried to say something to her mother, only to be gently shushed as the elderly stallion let out a very colorful string of language, whacking the pegasus guard over the head with his cane.

“Fucking, fucking, fuckfuckfuck!”

Chrysalis leaned against a wall. Wings that she hadn’t had in months buzzed in abject terror. Her heart was in her throat, and she could hear nothing but the pounding of blood in her ears.

Just one shout would do her in. Her friendships, the foals, the market deals, her wedding, her wonderful husband would be gone and done. All of it would be replaced by a prison; chains if she was lucky, an eternity as a statue if she wasn’t.

Slowly, she slid down the wall, not able to catch her breath. Her eyes were glued to the space just outside the alley. She felt for certain that in moments, a mob would be charging toward her, or the guards, or the Elements of Harmony. It was all over. Everything she had built here was about to be undone.

The queen tried to change herself back into a hyoo-man, but couldn’t focus while in the middle of her panic attack. All she could do was sit there and breathe. Her panic was so great that there wasn’t even an ounce of fight in her. With her current power she could have leveled this entire town, but at the moment all she could think about was how sad Mrs. Cake would be when she found out she wouldn’t be a maid of honor anymore. And Anonymous…

Just as the thought of her husband crossed her mind she saw someone walking past the alley. He was much too large to be a pony, and even as dirty and tired as he was, he was still so handsome.

“Anon!” she called out, her voice breaking.

Anon stopped midstep. He was holding a boutique of flowers in his hand she saw. He must have come to the market to get them before coming home. Every few weeks he liked doing that for her. She always told him that she’d end up just feeding them to her Everfree plants outside, but he still got them for her anyway.

Chrysalis out a whine as he turned toward her. She tried getting up, but her legs were shaking too hard. His head cocked to the side as he stared at her. There was confusion in his face, but, very quickly, it was replaced with realization. He broke off into a sprint toward her, flowers flying.

She could feel his worry as he ran toward her. It didn’t matter that she was no longer a hyoo-man at that moment. He knew right away who she was, and came to her without thinking. The queen let out a sniffle as he stopped right in front of her, kneeling down.

“Hon, what’s wrong? Why are you behind Bonbon’s shop? Did something--”

Chrysalis wrapped her hooves around his neck, burying her muzzle into his sweaty chest. A queen did not weep, nor did she babble and blather like some hatchling whose eyes hadn’t yet opened, but that’s exactly what she did. The thought of the guards, ponies, imprisonment; all of it disappeared in her husband’s arms. She was scared, and he was there to comfort and protect her. He was here to help, as he always had. Everything was going to be alright now. The queen held him all the tighter as she cried. She could feel his worry while she held him, but more than that she could feel his love. Pure, unburdened, complete love directed solely at her. It surrounded her like a warm, comfortable blanket. She did her best to focus on it and not the cold terror in the pit of her stomach.

It took what felt like ages, but she felt her heart rate begin to slow. Her shaking subsided, and she was able to open her eyes once more. She found that she was no longer sitting in a dirty alley, but in her home. She was on her couch, wrapped in a blanket, in her husband’s lap. She could feel one of his calloused hands rubbing the space between her insect-like wings.

She reached up, trying to wipe the snot and tears from her face with a hoof. When she ended up just smearing her face up, she erupted into green flame, turning once again into a hyoo-man, completely naked but otherwise fine. Anon flinched in surprise at her transformation, but didn’t move away, nor did he stop rubbing her back. With his free hand, he offered her a handkerchief. She took it, cleaning herself off as best as she could.

It was a relief to find out she could turn back. Much of her anxiety disappeared as well. Her breaths became less shaky, and much of the tension left her. She leaned against Anon, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Anon?” she said, her voice hoarse. “Did anyone see you carrying me while I wasn’t hyoo-man?”

“I don’t think so,” her husband replied, reaching up to place a hand on top of her head. “I took you through that alley and up past the Apple’s. I didn’t see a soul.”

Chrysalis nodded, hugging him tight. If that was the case, nopony had seen her. She might actually be in the clear. As terrifying as that had been, they wouldn’t have half of Equestria’s armed forced knocking at their door.

Anon ran his fingers through her hair. “You wanna talk about whatever happened back there?” he asked.

“The… the guard hit me with a spell that turned me into what I was before,” she told him truthfully. “It caused a bit of a panic attack, as you saw.”

Anger mixed in with her husband’s love. She felt him tense, sucking in a mouthful of air. She quickly planted a kiss on his cheek, trying to diffuse that anger before it grew.

“There’s no need to cause a fuss over it,” she assured. “I’m completely fine, and it was no doubt just an accident.”

Anon said nothing for a good while. She could feel emotions swirling inside of him. Worry, confusion, anger. He took a deep breath.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“I’ll still have a conversation with Twilight about it. They can’t be shooting spells all over the place like that. You could have been really hurt.”

A warmth filled the queen’s belly. She leaned back, grabbing his face and gently smooshing his cheeks together. Anon allowed her to do so, staring up at her with no suspicion, no doubt. He had absolute, total trust in her.

“Thank you for carrying me home,” she said, giving him a toothy, happy smile. “That means so much more than you know. Truth be told I… My little episode has given me a lot to think about. It made me realize things I hadn’t considered so important to me until the thought that I might lose them.

“I--”

Before Anon could finish his thought, she pulled his head between her breasts. She squished them together using her biceps, engulfing the man’s face. He sputtered, and she let out a little laugh.

“You’re going to make such a good husband.”

Chapter Eleven

The sun was just beginning to peak over the mountaintop. One could see pinks and yellows gleam off the snowy peaks. In just a few minutes everything would be light.

Applejack had insisted that it would be an easy day today on the farm, meaning they’d all work until they were aching, not until they were ready to keel over. There would be apples to haul, pigs to see to, cows to milk, things to fix and clean. Just another day at work really.

Anon, Big Mac, and Caramel were in the top loft in the barn. All of them were seated at the opening that was used to haul the hay they’d use for the winter, legs dangling as they watched the sunrise. In a minute or two Applejack would be yelling at them to get a move on, but until then they could sit there in relative comfort.

“My old lady had an episode yesterday,” Anon said, hands in his lap.

The stallions looked over at him.

“The weddin’?” Big Mac asked.

“Would make sense. You know how mares get with this sort of thing,” Caramel said with a shrug. “Probably don’t matter if they did it once already either.”

“Nah, one of those guards hit her with a spell yesterday,” Anon replied, keeping his gaze focused on the mountains.

Both stallions said nothing, but their ears perked up. The silence dragged on for a few moments, then Anon looked down at his hands.

“I love Chryssi so much, boys,” he said. “I’ve never cared about someone this much. It sounds really dumb, like in a movie or something, but she’s actually the reason why I get up and come here to get my ass kicked everyday. I would do things for her that I’d never consider doing for anyone else in a heartbeat.”

He looked over at Big Mac and Caramel for a moment, then back at the mountains.

“I… I didn’t ask a whole lot of questions. I don’t want to; if she wants to tell me something that’s great, but I’m not going to pry. All I know is the sort of person I know she is, and that person is someone I’ll happily spend the rest of my life with.”

Anon opened and closed his hands. Realization slowly dawned on both stallions. They had both been at the town hall meeting explaining the guards. They might have been a couple of simple country bumpkins, but they could put two-in-two together.

“Magic can’t really do anything to my head, or so Twilight told me. Mind control or anything like that doesn’t work, and um…”

He sniffed, scratching his chin.

“Can I be honest with you, boys?”

Big Mac was the first to respond, reaching up and giving his shoulder a tap. “She’ll make a good wife,” he said. “That ain’t fake. Everypony in town sees it, an’ they see just how much she loves ya, so don’t ya be gettin’ cold hooves.”

“Yeah. We didn’t all rent tuxedos for nothin’,” Caramel added.

“I’m not getting cold hooves! I just thought you’d want to know what my wife may or may not be,” Anon shrugged. “I’m not real familiar with everything that happened in Equestria, but I know some things did happen so… you know.”

The three lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Off in the distance, a rooster began to cawk.

“We have a princess that tried destroyin’ the planet,” Caramel finally said. “She settled down. Can’t see why your old lady can’t.”

“Sometimes settlin’ is the best thing for a body,” Big Mac told him. “Honestly? It’s really not worth thinkin’ about if you ask me.”

“Whatcha mean?” Anon asked, looking at the big stallion.

“You got a weddin’ in two days, and if’n what your tellin’ us is right you’ll have a lil’ one runnin’ around sooner ‘an later.” Big Mac sniffed the air, giving his head a little toss. “You got too much to worry about right now. No need to add more to the wagon, right?”

“So, you’re thinking the whole thing isn’t really worth thinking about?”

“Nope. You got a gal that loves you. Don’t matter who or what she was before she met you.”

“Huh. Alright then…”

The three watched just as the sun fully rose about the mountain, bathing the land in warmth and color. A few moments later, they heard Applejack give a shout somewhere in the fields. They grunted, standing up and dusting themselves off.

“Woulda been nice tellin’ your buddies that your “wife” was actually a Changeling before now,” Caramel said, giving him a light swat with his tail.

“She told me she was a love horse,” Anon replied.

Both stallions began to laugh.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The day of the wedding came around. For the town, it was like a national holiday. School was closed, as were the shops. Ponies were at their homes, or the homes of friends, getting ready. There was a small army at Sugarcube Corner putting the finishing touches on sweets and other goodies. There were nearly as many at the town hall, which had gotten a new coat of white paint for the occasion.

Anon and his groomscolts were somewhere on the other side of town getting ready. Chrysalis was seated in a storage closet in the town hall that had been morphed into a dressing room just for this day. The queen was staring at herself in the mirror as a mare put the finishing touches on her hair while Rarity fritted over her dress.

She hadn’t slept very well these last few days. There had just been so much to do; so many ponies to talk to, so many things to taste, so much to get ready. It almost felt like when she was overseeing a hive of thousands, yet somehow even more stressful. Her whole hive wouldn’t have been ruined if the weather team didn’t keep a storm front away, or fall into chaos because a mare walked in wearing the wrong colored dress.

Along with the stress, there was excitement as well. In just a few hours she would be a wife. A missus. A ma’am. Not a guise that she had thought up, but the real deal. Bound completely to someone else, in sickness and in health. Just a year ago, she would have felt nothing but scorn for such ideas, but now it was more appealing to her than ruling the world.

Over her shoulder, she could hear Mrs. Peach and Mrs. Pumpkin Pie having a shushed argument about horse shoes. Mrs. Cake was regaling some of the younger mares with stories about her wedding. Mrs. Cheerilee was keeping an eye on her flower fillies. She hadn’t been able to pick one or two, so she just invited every filly she’d help tutor for the job. Not a single one declined, and the room was filled with absolutely rambunctious children running around getting in everyponies’ way.

As Rarity fretted over some stitching near her leg, she thought of her soon-to-be husband. Outwardly, Anon had done his best to appear calm and collected. Emotionally, however, he was a nervous wreck. Thankfully, what he was feeling was mostly excitement, but she also had the feeling that he was fearful that something might ruin their wedding, and she’d be miserable because of it. Nevermind she could have married him in the middle of some filthy pit and been perfectly content.

“And there… we… go!” Rarity said, levitating her scissors back into a saddle bag strapped to her side. “It should be perfectly seamless. In fact, I daresay it will make you even more ravishing, darling.”

She gently tapped Chrysalis’ side.

“Be a dear and stand up for me? I’d like to see how the dress sits on you one last time, if you’d humor me.”

Even though it was the tenth time that day that the unicorn had made such a request, the queen did as she bid, standing up. Rarity levitated her stool away, allowing her to take a few steps around the space as she looked at herself in the mirror.

The dress was perfect. Her hair was perfect. Her nails had been trimmed and painted her favorite shade of green. Her skin was flawless, so there really wasn’t a need for makeup, but the green lipstick that Mrs. Cake had found looked fantastic on her. All of this together made her just stop and stare at herself. Now she could see why Anonymous couldn’t keep his hands off her. She really was smoking hot.

She gave her hair a playful toss, then spun around in place like some air-headed princess. A giggle escaped her, followed by silence. Silence, she realized, that hadn’t been in this room since they had all stepped in here.

Chrysalis turned around to see every pony in the room had stopped what they were doing to look at her. Their eyes were wide, and many had their mouths open.

“Golly…”

“Anon is a lucky stallion.”

“She’s real pretty…”

Despite herself, the queen couldn’t help but strike a pose, a smile growing on her face. Some of the mares giggled, while others rolled their eyes. A sock was rolled up and tossed her way, bouncing harmlessly off her shoulder.

Mrs. Cake cleared her throat. “Alright. That’s enough lollygagging girls. The mare of the hour might be all done up but most of you aren’t! I want all of us practically gleaming when we step out the door.”

The earth ponies voice cut through the room with an air of absolute authority. It shook the other mares out of their stupors, and they hurried to grab brushes and make up kits. Minding her dress, Chrysalis grabbed a brush as well, walking over to the group of fillies. Relief flashed across Cheerilee’s face when she saw her coming over. She gestured at the children, then pointed at the queen.

Chrysalis smiled. “Alright, little ones. Let’s get you all pretty.”

~_~_~_~_~_~_

It was a lovely day outside. The weather team had been hard at work making sure that the sky was clear and there was no wind. It was cool, but not enough to make one shiver, with the sun shining high above.

The wedding had been set up on the Apple’s land, in a clearing surrounded by apple trees. There was a barn off in the distance, on top of the properties’ many rolling hills. The smell of freshly tilled soil and apples was thick in the air.

Anon was standing on the podium that he and the fellas had spent the week building. Beside him were his groomscolts, all wearing sharp tuxedos. To Anon’s left was the Mayor; the mare who had the honor of officiating the wedding. Twilight had offered to do this, but he hadn’t wanted to put such a stressful burden on the mare. He knew Twilight; she would make the mother of all mountains out of their particular molehill in the blink of an eye. Better she be in the crowd enjoying herself. During their reception though, he’d have to make sure she was the second person he danced with, just to show her how much she meant to him.

Speaking of crowds, there was a big one staring back at him. The entire town and then some; so many folks that he could see a crowd standing behind the rows and rows of fold-up chairs. Cows, ponies, gryphons, a couple yaks, and what he was pretty sure was some sort of river monster. They all had been chatting with each other, but then wedding music had started playing and the whole crowd had gone silent and sat straight forward.

The human had already puked twice today since he had woken up. Just watching the crowd turn their attention toward him and that music made his stomach churn dangerously for a third time. He forced himself to swallow the bile that was building in his throat, taking a few deep breaths.

“Hey. If you wanna make a run for it now’s the time,” Thunderlane whispered from his spot next to Spike.

Everyone chuckled. Anon wiped a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.

The music suddenly changed in pitch. The crowd looked back. Anon, from his raised vantage point, was able to see Chrysalis and the gaggle of mares trotting beside her. Mrs. Cake was by her side, seemingly talking to her as they walked.

It was almost like a switch went off in Anon’s head when he saw her. The nausea and terror disappeared, as did the crowd and even the music. There was just him and his beautiful soon-to-be-wife in her beautiful dress trying not to fall over because she wasn’t very comfortable in heels.

Chrysalis looked up at him, a smile breaking out across her face that made his heart ache.

“Gosh almighty,” he heard Caramel say. “Look at ‘er. Prettier an’ a tilled field in the sunset.”

“Yep…”

“That’s a keeper my man.”

“Eh, she’s no Rarity.”

The stallions glared at the drake, who flinched.

“I, uh mean, you’re really lucky there, Anon.”

Anon couldn’t help but smile, watching as Chrysalis picked up the pace, half walking, half stumbling toward him.

“Yeah. I really am.”

Chrysalis hurried to the carpet that had been laid out leading to the platform. Instead of stopping at the end like she was supposed to, she marched right up onto it. Before anypony could say a thing, she wrapped her arms around Anon and pulled him in for a kiss.

From behind her podium, Mayor Mare cleared her throat. “Sweet Celestia, filly. At least let me say a few words for goodness sake!”

Laughter erupted from the crowd. Mrs. Cake jumped up the platform, grabbing Chrysalis’ hand with her mouth and trying to pull her away. Chrysalis gave him another kiss--garnering even more laughter from the folks watching--before practically skipping to the edge of their little set up.

“Very good. Now if we can do this the proper way,” the mayor said with a smile. “We are all gathered here today for a wonderful reason. While we all didn’t have the honor of watching as these two joined their lives together for the first time, we have the privilege of doing so now. Mr. and Mrs. Mous wish for us to witness their renewed vows of love, and the reaffirmation of their bond.”

The earth pony made a gesture. Taking their que, all of the school fillies made their way down the aisle, throwing flower petals from the baskets held carefully in their mouths. Walking right behind them was Chrysalis, and behind her were her bridesmares, All of them, even the children, had their heads held high, beaming with pride.

“Jump down an’ kiss ‘er, Anon. Turn the tables on ‘er,” Big Mac joked, just loud enough for the front row to hear.

“You stay right where you are, Mr. Mous,” the mayor said.

More laughter, along with some good-natured teasing.

The fillies, having emptied their little baskets, were quick to disappear into the rows of chairs, where their parents were waiting. Chrysalis stepped back onto the platform, almost stumbling, and stood right next to Anon. The bridesmares stood at her side, mirroring his groomscolts.

The Mayor stepped around her podium, making her way between the humans. She grabbed their hands, laying Anon’s on top of Chrysalis’.

“Anonymous, do you uphold your original vow to love this woman before you?” she asked.

Anon nodded. “As long as she’ll have me,” he said.

“And you, Chryssi. Will you care for and love this man as you’ve said so long ago?”

Chrysalis placed both her hands on top of his. Blinking away tears, she nodded. “Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely. With all my heart.”

Anon felt tears welling up. For a moment, he wished he could have seen his grandparents sitting in the front row watching this. He was sure they’d be proud.

The Mayor beamed. “Then, By Harmony, the Celestial Sisters, and the power given to me by the realm, I pronounce you both married.”

“Double married!” someone in the crowd shouted.

“Double married,” the Mayor agreed with a nod. “Anon, you may kiss the bride. Unfortunately, she can’t kiss you back since she was an antsy aardvark and couldn’t wait.”

Even more laughter as Anon’s and Chrysalis reached up to grab each other. They leaned in, and yet again Anon found himself lost in the most beautiful eyes in the whole world just as their lips touched.

Foals made gagging sounds, but that was quickly drowned out by cheering. The groomscolts and bridesmares stomped their hooves. Pinkie fired a cannon full of confetti off into the air. Hats were thrown, as was a pair of socks. Both Anon and Chrysalis barely heard it, still staring at each other.

“I have something at home I’d like you to see,” Chrysalis said, just over the crowd.

Anon cocked his head to the side. “Whatcha mean, honey?”

His queen let out a giggle. She kissed both of his cheeks, then his nose before leaning up to his ear.

“I’d like to show you our child,” she whispered.

As Anon went ramrod stiff, there was movement in the corner of Chrysalis’ eye. She looked over, and saw the last creature she had ever expected to see on her special day. The day she had, in fact, been looking forward to ever since Anon had asked her. Honestly, if she were a superstitious kind of Changeling, she might have seen it as some sort of karma. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband, the Princes-Consort Shining Armor, in the flesh, not twenty feet away from her.

Her husband hit the deck, out cold from her good news. She looked down at him, then over at the royal couple.

“Shit,” she whispered.

~_~_~_~_~_~

Ponies didn’t bat an eye at Anon passing out. They figured the stress of the day had finally been too much for the stallion. It wasn’t anything to be ashamed of; happened all the time in fact. There would be some jokes made at the human’s expense well into the foreseeable future, but that would be it. A group of nurses that had been amongst the guests had made their way onto the platform almost as soon as Anon had hit the ground. They had him sitting up and talking within ten minutes. A lot of color came back to his face once he was given some food and orange juice, and with just a little help from the groomscolts, he was taken over to a chair to sit down.

Amidst of this chaos, Chrysalis had lost track of Cadence and Shining Armor. While she fawned over her husband, eventually being able to lead him to one of the Apple’s barns where the reception was being held. During the walk, she had almost tricked herself into thinking that the two had just been figments of her imagination. A result of a lack of sleep, or stress, or maybe something she had eaten that morning. Once she walked into the barn and saw both of them near the cookie table, talking with Twilight Sparkle, that hope was unfortunately bashed.

“Double shit,” she murmured, looking around the barn.

The building was already filled with ponies, talking, laughing, helping themselves to goodies and drinks. What she thankfully didn’t see however were guards.

While she milled over the idea of taking her husband and perhaps hiding in the upper loft of the barn, Cadence caught sight of her. The alicorn smiled, gesturing toward them, causing both Shining and Twilight to look as well. As one, they began making their way over to her.

Chrysalis did her best to look casual, saying hello to ponies, patting heads and bending down to get affectionate nuzzles as they grew closer. As she did all of this, she did her best to rein in her emotions. While the pink dunce walking toward her might seem like a cheap Celestia knock-off, the mare was also an empath. She was no Changeling of course, but she could sense emotions with enough clarity that her panic might raise an eyebrow.

“You know, my Shining was able to keep his hooves just a little longer during our wedding,” the alicorn teased, looking at Anon. “It’s good to see you again, Anonymous. It’s also wonderful to finally meet your wife.”

“I managed to get out of the throne room I think before I dropped,” Shining said with a small laugh. “My dad didn’t let me hear the end of it.”

While Twilight Sparkle was smiling, there was clear worry in her eyes as she walked over to Anon. “Are you alright? You didn’t manage to hurt yourself, did you?” she asked.

Anonymous, though still somewhat dazed, shook his head. “Hello your highnesses. No. I’m fine. I’ve fallen a lot higher and was fine, Twi,” he said. “I was--”

He stopped, his eyes widening. “Wait, I’m gonna be a dad,” he said, looking toward Chrysalis. “You’re--I mean--I’ll--!”

Joy exploded from her husband as he smiled. He spun on his heel, grabbing the queen by her middle and picking her up. Chrysalis couldn’t help but laugh as he spun her around, then kissed her.

“Hey!” he yelled, turning toward the crowd of ponies. “I’m gonna be a dad everyone! The missus said so!”

If Chrysalis thought the wedding guest had been loud when they had kissed it was nothing compared to the noise that they made now. Ponies, from the youngest foal to Granny Smith, were hollering at the top of their lungs. All of the cows that had been invited were mooing and stomping their hooves with such force that the barn seemed to shake.

It was such a ruckus that Chrysalis took a few steps backwards. She might have even fallen back onto her rump if not for Princess Cadence supporting her with a wing. Anon, almost shaking with joy, scooped a grinning Twilight up into his arms and ran toward his groomscolts. He managed to get halfway toward them before an Applebloom-shaped torpedo hit him in the side, knocking him over. The other crusaders were right behind her, as were the cows.

Ponies tried rushing for Chrysalis, but they were stopped with a stern look from Princess Cadence. The pink alicorn said something to her husband, then, grabbing the queen’s hand with her magic, carefully led her out of the barn. This could have possibly been the worst case scenario for this whole business, but Chrysalis was honestly so happy with her husband’s enthusiasm that she didn’t particularly mind being led away by a mare who she had coltnapped once upon a time.

“Forgive me, but I didn’t want them overwhelming you,” the mare said, after they had gone some distance away from the barn. “I know how ponies can be with others’ pregnancies. Congratulations by the way. Shining and I had just wanted to be there for Anonymous on your special day, but it seems like the day ended up being even better than we could have imagined!”

The princess offered Chrysalis her hoof.

“I’m sorry. In the chaos I wasn’t able to properly introduce myself. My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. You’re more than welcome to call me Cadence.”

There was only some hesitation before Chrysalis shook the alicorn’s hoof. The thought that she should bow came to mind and was subsequently beaten down. There was no way in Tartarus she was going to show such respect do this doofus.

“It’s nice to meet you… Cadence,” she said. “It’s a surprise seeing you here. If Anon and I would have known you were coming we would have made accommodations--”

“No, no, no, no! There’s no need for that!” Cadence said, suddenly looking alarmed. “I wouldn’t dream of taking anything away from such a special day. Shining and I aren’t the important ones here today, it’s you and your husband. Don’t let anypony tell you otherwise please.”

Despite herself, Chrysalis found that the smile that came to her face wasn’t at all forced or fake. “It’s very kind of you to say so. Anon and I are also honored to have you both here, as… unexpected as it is.”

“Like I said, Shining and I were here to be there for Anon,” Cadence explained .”We met when he first came to Equestria. He wasn’t around us for long, but he made quite the impression. We actually got a letter from him a few weeks ago about the wedding, and thought we’d make the surprise trip.”

There was a bang that came from the barn, followed by a loud cheer. Both Changeling and alicorn looked toward the building, then at each other.

“I’ve been super excited to meet you,” the mare continued. “Anon never told us he had a wife. While I’m sure it’s been hard adjusting to a whole new world, I’m sure it’s much easier being with somepony that you love.”

Chrysalis nodded. “It is. Anon really is wonderful,” she said quietly.

“You love him a lot, huh?” Cadence said.

“More than anything. He’s my--”

Chrysalis paused, surprised just how quickly she had replied. More than anything. A queen with nearly unlimited power currently at her fingertips and a real chance to destroy Equestria, a chance at wealth, power, fame, and everything in between, and some hairless ape trumped it all. She couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

“He makes me as happy as a woman could be.”

Cadence grinned. “I can tell. Now, why don’t go back inside and see what your husband is up to. Knowing Shining, he’s probably in there somehow making it worse. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to keep ponies from jumping all over you like a bunch of excited puppies.”

As both ponies made their way back into the barn, looking forward to a night of fun and merrymaking, neither noticed a figure standing a few dozen feet away. It was a massive black Changeling with deep purple eyes and a pair of mighty antlers on his head. He was Pharynx; brother of King Thorax and the Ling spearheading the mission of finding their ex-evil queen.

As Chrysalis and Cadence walked into the barn, chatting pleasantly with each other, the big Changeling’s eyes were wide.

“You’re here…”

Chapter Twelve

Twilight Sparkle walked around town. She had walked through every street of Ponyville in her time living here so many times she could probably accurately navigate with her eyes closed. Today though, walking the streets she was so familiar with, she felt lost.

Chryssi was not who she said she was. She was no human from another world. She was, in fact, Queen Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen that had attempted to destroy Equestria more than once.

The thought was so outlandish as to be laughable. Chryssi baked goodies and taught foals their multiplications. She was no power-hungry monster hellbent on destruction. Somepony would have noticed something was off about her; she would have noticed. She had been easily able to tell when Chrysalis was Cadence after all.

When Thorax’s brother had come to her with the revelation she hadn’t believed it. She insisted that he had made a mistake. If nothing else, why in Celestia’s name would Anonymous lie about having a wife? She knew for a fact that any magic that affected the mind did nothing to him, so she wouldn’t even have been able to dominate him!

Pharynx was insistent, and with that insistence came doubts. She thought about the Gryphon vendor, and how strange it was that another human just appeared outside of Ponyville. There was also a story about a foal seeing a big black figure darting through the market after a guard’s detection spell went off accidentally that had been purported to her.

Twilight did not consider herself a suspicious mare by nature, but just the idea of somepony so dangerous living right under all their noses was some cause for concern. Was she concerned enough to confront Chryssi and Anon? Absolutely not. Would she take a trot around town and talk to some ponies to see if they noticed anything strange or troubling about the town’s second human? Yes.

The princess found herself making her way to Sugarcube Corner. It was just after the lunch rush, so when she opened the front door and stepped inside the building was mostly empty. The few ponies still there eating their sweets called with greetings or waved, but mostly kept to themselves.

Twilight made her way over to the counter, manned by Pinkie Pie. The earth pony, who had been balancing a pen on the tip of her muzzle, very clearly bored, visibly brightened when she saw her.

“Hiya, Twilight! Is there something I can get for you? A coffee? Donut? Cookie? Mr. Cake just finished pulling out some sweet bread from the oven if you’d like that. It’s suuuuper yummy!” Pinkie said, her tail wagging.

Twilight gave her friend a smile, though it didn’t come as easily to her face as she would have liked. “It all sounds really good, Pinkie, but could you actually get Mrs. Cake for me? I’d like to speak to her about something. Something private.”

Pinkie stared at her for a long moment, then smiled and nodded. “Okie dokie! Give me a sec and I’ll go get her for you!” she said. “After you’re done talking though, you really should get some of the bread. It’s really, really, really good.”

“Save me a loaf then.”

Pinkie saluted, then cartwheeled back into the kitchen. Twilight shook her head at her friend’s antics. She knew that there was a good chance that Pharynx would tell his brother what he had seen. Thorax wasn’t the sort of monarch that would overstep his bounds, but he might if he knew Chrysalis was within reach. He could insist on sending a large force to apprehend her. If that did happen ponies might panic seeing so many Changelings in town, and Celestia only knows what Chrysalis would do. Again, if Chryssi was actually Chrysalis.

“Good afternoon your highness! Pinkie said you wanted to talk to me?”

Startled out of her thoughts, Twilight turned to see Mrs. Cake standing behind the counter. The earth pony had her signature apron on, her cheek and neck speckled with flour.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Cake,” she said. “I’m sorry to bother you out of the blue like this.”

The earth pony laughed. “Bother? Oh, you’d never bother me, Twilight. You’re welcome here anytime; you know that. Now, what seems to be the problem? Pinkie said something about it being a personal matter? If it would make you more comfortable we can go upstairs to talk privately.”

“Actually… if you don’t mind that would be ideal.

“Then right this way.”

Twilight allowed herself to be led to the upper floor of Sugarcube Corner, all the while trying her hardest to think of a way to explain the situation tactfully. Mrs. Cake wasn’t a gabby gums like Rarity, but she was a prominent figure in town. Ponies would take what she said seriously, especially if she said a princess came to her.

“Pound and Pumpkin are taking a nap, so I ask you try to keep your voice down please,” Mrs. Cake whispered. “So, what seems to be the problem? It’s not something I or my husband have done, is it?”

“Oh no, of course not,” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “It’s… well, you know how we’ve been on the lookout for a dangerous individual?”

“Of course.”

“There’s been a lead that I’ve wanted to follow, but first, if you don’t mind, I’d like to check you for something.”

A look of confusion crossed Mrs. Cake’s face. “Check me?”

“I’d like to see if anypony has tampered with your mind,” Twilight explained. “It will only take a moment. Completely painless, I promise.”

Even though she seemed unsure, the earth pony nodded. “Go right ahead, dear.”

Leaning forward, Twilight placed the tip of her horn against the mare’s forehead. Her horn glowed, and a wash of purple aura traveled down the length of her body. Mrs. Cake let out a surprised gasp at the sensation, but didn’t move from her position until Twilight moved away.

“You’re perfectly fine,” she said with a sigh of relief. “Fantastic.”

“Wonderful,” Mrs. Cake replied.

The mare suddenly looked unsure, biting her bottom lip. Twilight watched as she quietly wrestled with a thought before once again speaking.

“This dangerous individual, Twilight dear. I don’t think they’re in Ponyville,” she said. “We… we might have some folks that aren’t who they say they might be, but they’re not dangerous.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“You know, I was so honored that Chryssi wanted me to be her maid of honor at the wedding the other day,” Mrs. Cake continued. “I really didn’t know what to think of her when she came into the store asking for baking advice. She was strange, even stranger than that husband of hers in some ways, but I realized, after a few weeks, she was just a filly that needed a helping hoof.”

The earth pony took a step toward the princess, some confidence coming to her voice.

“Chryssi seemed really focused on the love aspect of baking whenever I spoke to her about it. Not like a normal pony would mind you. It was almost like she was more interested in the love than the cooking.”

The older mare smiled.

“There were a few other things. Most ponies wouldn’t have noticed, but I’m a baker. We need to have an eye for detail. I’d notice things change with her appearance for the first few weeks we were together. Her eyes might be bigger or smaller, or her hair was a different shade of black. Celestia above, even now her teats are all over the place. Some of the other mares noticed as well of course, but none of us wanted to say anything.”

“Why?” Twilight asked. “Did she threaten you?”

“Threaten? Oh, of course not,” Mrs. Cake said, softly laughing. “We were… curious. Maybe confused as well. Why would a big, bad villain go through such an effort just to blend in? A few of the gals figured you had settled her down here yourself until we have the town hall meeting about it.”

“Mrs. Cake, if you…” Twilight was lost for words for a few moments. She could only look into the mare’s eyes. “If you knew something was going on, especially after that meeting, why didn’t you say anything?”

Mrs. Cake smiled. “Because, the critter you’re looking for isn’t here. She might have been here in the very beginning, but not anymore. Chryssi is a sweet filly with a wonderful husband that she loves. The foals in town love her, and the parents do as well. She’s also a very near and dear friend of mine, and I pray she continues to be for a very long time.”

The mare puffed her chest out a bit.

“She’s also the second best baker in Ponyville, and I’d tell anypony that without a second thought.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “I see. Thank you for telling me all this, Mrs. Cake.”

Mrs. Cake placed a hoof on her shoulder. “She might not really be a human, but I can tell you she loves Anon. I don’t care what she is or what she’s able to do. There was no faking the look on her face when she saw him up on that podium.”

~_~_~_~_~_~

With a brown paper bag filled with goodies secured in her saddle bag, Twilight left Sugarcube Corner. She had gotten answers, but she didn’t feel confident or sure as to what needed to be done. In fact, the answers she had gotten might have raised even more questions.

The princess meandered thoughtfully through the market. She spoke with ponies, glanced at the wares, all the while keeping an eye out. Her ponies seemed happy and content, not at all troubled or worried.

Did they need to be worried? If what Mrs. Cake said was true, and Twilight had no reason to doubt the mare, then there might have been cause for at least a little concern. This whole thing could have just been an elaborate ploy by Chrysalis to try to take over Equestria yet again, or maybe steal the Elements of Harmony, or foalnap her or one of the girls, or a million other things. Should she at least check up on Anon? Maybe try to talk to him about the fact he married a super villain that had tried to have them all stuffed in pods and milked for love on more than one occasion? If nothing else, she would have been interested in how he managed to wrangle such a dangerous creature. She would also be upset with him, for many reasons. Extremely upset no doubt.

“Princess Twilight, are ya alright there?”

Twilight jumped in surprise. She turned to see little Applebloom. Behind her were Sweetie and Scootaloo, who was seated on her scooter. All three fillies were staring up at her with various levels of concern.

“Oh, good afternoon, girls,” she said with a smile.

They all bowed respectfully, and it took all of Twilight’s willpower not to visibly cringe. She didn’t like when the nobles in Canterlot bowed to her, but she hated when they did it here.

“We didn’t mean to bother you, princess, but you looked sorta lost so we decided to come over and check on you,” Sweetie said.

“Hey, if you’re looking for something to do, Twilight, you can come watch me do some scooter tricks,” Scootaloo said with a grin. “We finished building a ramp that I wanna test.”

Twilight’s smile lessened, and her brow furrowed. “A ramp? How in Equestria did you build a ramp, girls?”

“With tools,” Applebloom said. “Big Mac let me use’em.”

While Twilight was no expert in ramps or anything of the sort, she couldn’t help but question the engineering ability of ten year olds.

“Why don’t you let me take a look at this ramp before you do any tricks,” she said kindly. “I’m free for another hour or so before dinner time. I could watch you girls for a little while.”

The girls let out a cheer at that, making her smile. Scootaloo, with a buzz of her wings, rode down the street, riding around potholes and the occasional pony. The other three hurried behind her toward what Twilight guessed was Sweet Apple Acres. She watched the fillies run along on their little legs. These three were infamously bundles of energy, but she couldn’t remember the last time they seemed this happy.

“I heard from your sister the other day that you got straight A’s on your report card, Applebloom,” Twilight said. “Congratulations.”

Applebloom puffed her little chest out. “Thank ya. I worked hard,” she said. “Applejack said she’d get me a wagon ‘cause I did it too.”

“I did really good too, Princess,” Sweetie said, trotting in front of her friend. “I got a bunch of A’s too, and just one B!”

“Well, good job to you as well.”

“Scoots did pretty good too,” Applebloom said. “Usually she’d be happy with C’s, but I’m pretty sure she got an A or two on her report card too.”

Twilight looked at the filly racing in front of her, filled with energy and excitement. She remembered seeing Rainbow look particularly happy while bucking clouds the other day. If she knew Rainbow like she thought it did, that joy during a boring duty must have been because of her “adopted” little sister.

“Mrs. Cheerilee must be proud of you all,” she said.

“She is,” Sweetie replied. “She told us today that we were gonna have a pizza party for the class this Friday because we’re all doing so good.”

“Mrs. Cheerilee was real excited ‘bout it too,” Applebloom said. “She’s real excited about a lot of stuff lately.”

“Yeah! Before she’d seem really tired when we were all about to leave, but she’s smiling all the time now.”

Applebloom leaned toward her. “It’s ‘cause of Ms. Mous I think.”

Twilight perked up. “Ms. Mous?”

Both fillies nodded.

“She helps us a lot with homework and school stuff,” Sweetie explained. “She’s really smart, and she knows a lot of things. Because of her we don’t need to ask so many questions to Mrs. Cheerilee after she teaches us stuff.”

“I see… and you all like Ms. Mous?” Twilight asked.

“Of course!” Applebloom said without hesitation. “You know how hard spellin’ things is? I used to be the worst at it, an’ now I’m spellin’ things like xylophone! I still don’t rightly know what the hay a xylophone is, but I know I can spell it!”

“She is really nice,” Sweetie said, looking down at her hooves bashfully. “She’s really pretty too. I like when she combs my mane and tail…”

“She’s married to Anon too, an’ Anon is a real too worker at the farm,” Applebloom said with a giggle. “She told me if Anon gives any of us too much lip to let her know and she’d spank him.”

Both fillies giggled at that.

“Tell me girls, since you both know her so well, does she do anything… strange while you’re around her?” Twilight asked.

“Strange?” Applebloom said.

“Whatcha, mean, Princess Twilight?” Sweetie added.

“I mean, anything that seems out of the ordinary or strange. Even something little,” Twilight told them. “Has she done any magic on any of you, or taken you somewhere, or said something that an adult shouldn’t?”

The fillies went silent, both looking thoughtful as they all made their way past the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Well… Ms. Mous does make a weird sound when combs our manes sometimes,” Sweetie said. “It kinda sounds like… like a…” She trailed off, her face scrunching up.

“It sounds mighty like a cricket or somethin’,” Applebloom supplied.

Sweetie smiled. “Yeah! She chirps like a cricket would!”

“A cricket, huh?”

“Yep. I don’t rightly think she knows she’s doin’ it though. Other ‘an that I can’t think of anythin’ else, princess. What about you, Sweetie?”

“Nope.”

Before Twilight could say anything else, Scootaloo skidded to a stop, looking back toward them. “I hope you’re ready to be amazed, Twilight! Me and the girls worked on this thing for two whole weeks. I’ll be able to show you all sorts of tricks!”

The little pegasus gestured in front of her. Twilight saw many blocks of wood that had been nailed, glued, held together with rope and what appeared to be bubblegum. This mass had been haphazardly splayed out on the unfortunate ground in, if she were to squint really hard, what might have been considered a ramp. Even with everything holding the wood together, Twilight had a feeling that the whole mess was just a hairsbreadth from falling apart. A strong wind would break this thing to pieces, let alone an overactive filly on her scooter.

“...Why don’t you let me take a good look at this, girls. I might be able to make some improvements on it.”

It wasn’t until Celestia’s sun was about to disappear behind the mountaintops that Twilight was able to walk back to her castle. Even with her magic, it had taken some considerable effort to make a ramp that the crusaders wouldn’t hurt themselves on. Once it was finished, all of the girls insisted on trying it out. Of course, Applejack and Big Mac had come to see what all the commotion was about, and she had found herself having dinner with the Apple family quickly after.

It was a lovely time, and it gave her some time to think about her predicament. If Chryssi actually was Chrysalis, something did have to be done about her. She was dangerous, and had the ability to harm ponies. If she was the evil Changeling that she had fought so many times though, why in Celestia’s name hadn’t she done anything evil?

She helped foals with their homework, and came into town twice a week to shop and gossip with the other married mares at Sugarcube corner. If she had just stayed in Anon’s house, nopony would have thought it was strange; they would have just figured she was overwhelmed by this new world. But no, she was an active, seemingly earnest member of the community. An evil creature intent on causing harm wouldn’t go to such lengths.

As Twilight walked, she thought of asking Princess Celestia and Luna for advice. Unfortunately for her, both were somewhere in the Amarezon on an adventure enjoying their retirement. Even if she were able to send a letter via dragonfire to them, who knows when they’d be able to respond, or even if they’d get the letter. Still, there was another princess she could speak to about this.

She would just need to make sure Cadence didn’t send the entirety of the Crystal Guard to apprehend the Changeling.

~_~_~_~_~_

The pod wasn’t the standard affair. This one was thrice the size of a normal birthing pod. Its foundation was wide and round, and its supports had been secured deep into the earth. The pod's frame was thick enough that the entire house could have fallen on top of it without issue. The organic, see-through film was completely clear and without blemish or defect. It was, by the impeccable standards of the Changeling race, a work of art.

Chrysalis had never seen a Royal Birth Pod, much less made one herself. These were a once in a thousand years occurrence, when a Changeling Queen was able to acquire enough resources and love to attempt to birth another queen.

The process, she had been told, was dangerous for a Queen. Converting normal eggs into a royal egg took an astronomical amount of love, and then even more love to fill the pod and keep the egg continuously fed. She had been told stories from her own mother about Queens dying in the attempt.

Ithad been no effort for her. In fact, Chrysalis hadn’t even realized she had made a royal egg until she had started making the pod in the space she had dug out underneath the basement. It had also been an absolute breeze transferring the egg into the pod and filling it with pure, undiluted love. She could see the little egg floating in the pod, a black speck surrounded by warm, glowing gold liquid.

“There she is. Your little girl.”

Anon was crouched beside the pod. He was staring intently at the egg, which was currently the size of a pebble, his hand on the film. Chrysalis was right beside him, her stomach a ball of anxiety, her hands held into fists against her chest. She was doing her best not to shuffle around like a scared dog.

“You’re sure it’s a girl?” Anon asked,” tapping the film with his finger.

The liquid inside grew brighter for a moment, then settled.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Chrysalis replied. “What I… produced will be like me, and that means it will be a female. At least I’m nearly positive.”

Her husband slowly nodded his head.

“How long will she be in there?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” the queen admitted. “It will take months, but I’m not sure on an exact date. It will mostly depend on the amount of love she receives.”

Anon smiled. “I was looking forward to seeing your belly grow, but this is pretty neat too,” he said. “I’ll get to see my little girl grow right in front of me.”

The smile widened, and she felt his love well up. The pod once again flooded the room with light as it absorbed the emotion. Anon pressed his hand forward against the pod for a few moments before standing up.

“She’ll have as much of my love as she can stomach,” he said, pulling her into a hug. “Just like you, sweetie.”

Chrysalis released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She returned the hug, resting her head on his shoulder. Staring at the pod, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, just holding each other.

“...Anonymous?”

“Yes dear?”

Chrysalis swallowed. Pulling away from the hug she stood in front of him. It took some effort, but she was able to look him in the eye.

“I feel as if I should tell you something. I have… I have not been honest with you,” she said. “I’m not a love horse. I’m--”

Before she could finish her sentence, Anon placed a hand gently over her mouth.

“You are my wife. The mother of my child. A valued member of the community,” he said. “You’re the most beautiful, smart, perfect creature I’ve ever met, and every day that you’ve been in my life has made that day so much better.”

He moved his hand away from her mouth, grabbing her by the shoulders.

“That’s what you are to me, dear. It’s what you always will be, no matter what you did or who you were before you met me. Okay?”

Chrysalis stared up at him, her mouth agape. She clawed for words, but could find none. To add insult to injury, she also found herself quickly blinking away tears. Anon hugged her again, and she hugged him back as hard as she could, sniffling. She felt a hand move to the top of her head, and she couldn’t help but lean against him.

“I love you…”

“I love you too. So, so much.”

Behind them, the pod became a miniature sun.

Chapter Thirteen

After the wedding, life mostly went back to normal. Anon worked at the farm, coming home filthy and exhausted most days. Chrysalis would maintain the house, go into town, tend to her little garden, and help the foals with her studies. Later in the day, the newly married couple would have dinner together and afterward watch a movie on the couch or Chrysalis would drag Anon into their bedroom to make him even more exhausted.

However, most nights they wouldn’t fall asleep in their bedroom. Instead, they’d make their way down into the basement to be next to the pod that contained their daughter. For almost a week after she had shown it to Anon, she had woken up to find herself sleeping alone, and him fast asleep beside the pod, his face pressed up against the container. She eventually had enough and dragged down a cot big enough for the two of them. It was nowhere near as comfortable as their real bed, but at least she could make sure her husband wasn’t wandering around their house in the middle of the night.

Anon had taken his role in keeping their child well supplied with love very seriously, and even though the Queen had told him multiple times that he didn’t need to be near the pod for it to extract his love, he wanted to be as close as possible. “To make it easier for the thing to do its job,” he had said.

Chrysalis was hardly surprised. She knew her husband was going to be an excellent parent. With his paternal instincts and her wisdom and cunning, they’d be able to forge a being fit to rule this world. The first queen of many as well, since Anon had confessed to wanting a big family. This birthing had been so easy and painless that Chrysalis saw no reason not to produce as many queens as she could.

She could imagine it now; her at the head of a throng of powerful queens backed by hives numbering in the millions. Not just a queen herself, but the queen. A high queen perhaps? An empress?

Whatever the case, it would mean she would be the greatest Changeling on this or any other planet. That would be many years from now though. She’d need to teach her first daughter her A B C’s and make sure her penmanship was excellent before she could broach the subject of statecraft.

Seeing as the entire town knew she was “pregnant”, she had altered her form slightly to compensate. She had given herself the beginnings of a belly, as well as enlarged her breasts by a half a cup. After some trial and error she had also figured out how to make herself lactate as well. It was annoying, as sometimes she would look down to see her shirt soaked, but it fooled the ponies well enough and Anon happened to find her milk delicious.

She had heard from a third party that Mrs. Cake and the other mares were secretly preparing a baby shower for her. Rarity was beyond excited to begin making hyoo-man baby clothes. Mrs. Cheerilee even came to the house so she could tease her about having a new student to teach in a few years.

Chrysalis honestly could never remember being quite so content in her long life. It was… pleasant.

“Let’s see. Sugar, salt, eggs… where in Equestria did I put that flour?”

Tomorrow the Queen would be baking their weekly bread. She was in the kitchen, her special “pregnant” apron that one of the foals had gotten for her secured on her person. She had gotten off to a somewhat late start as Anon hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her right up until she had all but thrown him out of the house so he could go to work, but she’d be able to make a dough and put it somewhere to rise before she went to the market. That blasted gryphon hadn’t been around with her cart, so they had been running low on meat, and she wanted to get a roast for this weekend. If the moronic bird continued not to show up, she’d just have to figure something else out.

Perhaps she could make a quick trip into the Everfree? Surely there was something edible in that forest that she could hunt. A hydra? Or maybe a manticore? It would be a pain to drag something so large back without it being seen, but if she managed to cut one up they wouldn’t have to worry about meat for the next year or three.

“Ah, there you are! Always behind the paper towels.”

Chrysalis reached for a half-full bag of flour, when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up, turned her attention toward the clock on the wall, and frowned.

“I swear by the Thousand-faced God it better not be another traveling salespony,” she mumbled, wiping her hands off her apron as she walked out of her kitchen. “I don’t need another knife set! Or a vacuum, I reall--”

The Queen opened the door, then froze when she saw the face of the filthy, flea-bitten, cowardly, traitorous, foul-spawned, cricket-faced, bastard-born cur that was Thorax. Beside the worthless waste of space, with a slightly nervous smile on her face, was Cadence.

“Congratulations,” Thorax said, reaching into a saddlebag and producing a heart-shaped box of chocolates. “On the child. And everything else, my qu--Chrysalis.”

Just seeing Thorax made her so upset that she could do nothing but stare at him. Unfortunately, the traitor took her strangled silence as permission to continue blathering on.

“We really were worried when we found Bumble had taken your place in the garden,” he said. “Honestly, I thought that you’d try to do something terrible--”

The box of candies went flying as the Queen smacked them away. She gritted her teeth, her canines elongating as she took a threatening step towards him. Thorax, making a face, reached under a wing and produced another box. Chrysalis stopped in her tracks, and despite the situation Cadence let out a snort as it was once again offered to her.

“They’re caramel. From that store in Phillyadelphia that you’d send the infiltrators to every once in a while,” Thorax said, giving the box a shake. “I remember how much you liked them.”

The Queen let out a snarl. She reached back to smack the box, but stopped just short. Staring down at it, she frowned, then snatched it out of the traitor’s magic, tearing open the box to peer inside. Sure enough, it was filled with little chocolates. When their smell hit her nose she had to resist the urge to lick her lips.

“What do you want?” she demanded, spitting out each word.

Thorax opened his mouth to answer, but stopped. He shifted in place, and Chrysalis could feel his emotions shift and flicker as though he were at a loss. His purple eyes scanned the porch until they settled on Cadence, who waved a hoof toward the queen in encouragement.

“I… I’m glad you’re doing well,” he said, looking down at his hooves like a Ling that had been caught sneaking an extra ration of love. “I really am. From what Twilight said you’ve been able to make a real life here. I just wanted to come and… I just… I mean…”

The traitor huffed, and Chrysalis could feel his annoyance rise within himself. He tried again to explain, but it just ended in a stumbling jumble of words.

Cadence took a few steps toward the two. The alicorn’s chin was raised, and she was looking at Chrysalis with narrowed eyes. Chrysalis stared right back defiantly. She could have evaporated the mare with just a thought, but stopped herself. If these two were here there were no doubt a thousand guards waiting around the house to strike.

It was hard not to lose herself in hopelessness at the situation. She had no idea what exactly was going on, and why this failure of a Changeling was yammering on as he was, but she knew the game was now up. She had been discovered, despite her best efforts. She could run, but even with her power it might be difficult. A battle could damage their house, or worse yet her child in the basement. The Queen could suffer much, but she didn’t think she’d be able to endure her husband’s heartbreak if he found out something had happened to their little girl. She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying not to think of all she was about to lose. Instead, she raised her chin in defiance, staring down at the pink princess.

Cadence stared at her for what felt like an eternity before she clicked her tongue. “The cake you had at your wedding was wonderful,” she said. “Thank you for letting me bring some home with me, as well as all of those cookies.”

Chrysalis blinked. “I… You’re very welcome,” she said slowly.

The alicorn nodded. “Also, if you ever need any help with your foal, reach out to me. I was one of the greatest babysitters in Equestria once upon a time.”

She turned toward the traitor. “Thorax? I’m going to head off I think. I’ll be at Twilight’s castle.”

Without waiting for anypony to say anything, the princess waved and trotted off the porch. Humming a tune to herself, she began down the pathway. Both Thorax and Chrysalis watched her leave.

“Would it be alright if I were to come into your home?” Thorax asked.

The Queen’s head snapped toward him. “No,” she snarled, baring her fangs.

Thorax sighed. “That’s fine. I figured as much,” he mumbled. “Maybe someday.”

“You nor any brood that abandoned me will ever step foot in my house,” Chrysalis said. “You are very lucky I don’t turn you inside out.”

The Changeling winced. “We didn’t abandon you, Chrysalis--”

“You turned your back on me. On your queen!”

“We found a better way to acquire love. You refused to see the sense of it,” Thorax told her, gently yet firmly. “The hive is above all, even the queen.”

Chrysalis felt her pride pricked. She resisted the urge to punch the arrogant drone’s head clean off, if nothing else than to keep his blood from staining her nice porch.

“And now look at you,” she said with a snort. “Some mutant pretending to be a queen along with that idiot brother of yours. Your “love extraction” has turned you all into--” she gestured at him with a hand. “--that! If I didn’t loathe you with every fiber of my being I might feel sorry for you.”

Thorax looked up at her. Astonishing, he gave her a small smile. “I can feel the love you have in you now. I didn’t believe it could have been possible with somepony like you, but it’s as clear as day in front of me. I sensed it in town everywhere I went, and there was no mistaking it. As much love as you take from your husband you give just as much if not more back. To him, to this house, to the ponies in town as well I bet.”

Chrysalis opened her mouth to retort, only for Thorax to raise a hoof to quiet her. It was an act so outrageous that she nearly choked on her rage.

“I just wanted you to know… what I mean to say is I’m proud of you. Of everything that you’ve been able to build here, and the love that you’ve offered so freely, something which we both know you’d have never done when you were our ruler.”

He reached under his wing yet again, pulling out an envelope.

“This is from Princess Twilight. She didn’t think it would have been appropriate for her to be here as well, but she did want me to give it to you.”

With some hesitation, Chrysalis took the letter. Thorax nodded, then turned away from her and made his way off her porch. He took a few steps down the dirt path when he stopped to look at her.

“If you’re ever interested in talking again please have Twilight send me a letter,” he said. “If not that’s fine, but the door will be open for you if you want to step through it, Chrysalis. We could even--”

In one fluid motion, Chrysalis reached down to snatch one of Anon’s boots that had been placed by the door and threw it at the Changeling. Thorax’s words turned into a yelp as it just missed his stupid antlers by inches. His wings now buzzing in panic, he took off down the path.

“Traitor!” Chrysalis called. “Worthless ingrate! I hope your “hive” falls around your head!”

She waited for the guards to jump out of her bushes because of the attack, or the Celestial Sisters, or someone ridiculous like Discord, but there was no one. A quick check with her magic showed nothing bigger than a squirrel around the house for almost a mile. Those two really had just come here to speak with her. Knowing who she was, they just wanted to talk.

The queen couldn’t help but shake her head as she opened the letter. Casting one last glance around, just in case her magic hadn’t picked something up, she began to read:

Chrysalis,

For your crimes against The Crown, Equestria, and Ponykind in general, I sentence you to ten thousand hours of community service. I would suggest that you put this time to use in helping local foals with their homework, as well participating in any charity events. Hours can also be removed if a tin of triple-chocolate fudge is brought to the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle, First of her Name at least once a week.

You will also be required to meet monthly with a parole officer, being Princess Twilight Sparkle, First of her Name, so you may be checked for wellness and if there are any issues with you and your family.

You have done some bad things, you’ve hurt my friends and family on more than one occasion, but everypony deserves a second chance. Please don’t make me regret this. Also, Please don’t mind control the meat vendor in town anymore. While I understand that her prices are outrageous, you can’t go doing that to critters, if for no other reason than it is extremely illegal under Equestrian law.

You are not alone. Chryssi, Chrysalis; however you’d like to be referred to, it makes no difference to me or anypony in town. We are happy that you’re a member of this community, and I pray that you and your young family only grow.

Hope to speak with you soon, Princess Twilight Sparkle, First of her Name.

Chrysalis read the letter, then read it again. It was almost too good to be true. Two invasion attempts, attempted murders, coltnapping, mind control, among other things and all she was going to get was a slap on the wrist? She was just able to live amongst them, everyone pretending that nothing had happened?

What if she did want to destroy Equestria? Or take over? Or cause some sort of mischief? Did these pitiful creatures think so little of her now? Did they believe Chrysalis, Ruler of the Swarm had gone soft because she had a husband and a child on the way?

She let out a snort, throwing her hands up into the air as she spun around on her heel and opened her front door.

“There’s something wrong with these ponies…”

_~_~_~_~_~
Years Later

It was the first day of the school year at Ponyville Elementary. Foals, struggling with backpacks filled to the brim with supplies, were being guided to the schoolhouse by their parents. Some were visibly anxious, while others seemed relieved that they’d have a few hours to themselves for a change. Pictures were being taken, and the sounds of laughter and mothers sobbing rang in the morning air.

One soon-to-be student of Mrs. Cheerilee stood out amongst the other children. Her name was Ambrosia. She wore a lovely green dress that she had picked herself. Her hair was done up in pigtails, and she had a scrunchie around her wrist. Her backpack had been made specifically for her bipedal frame, and it was covered in patches that her auntie Twilight and uncle Spike had helped put on just the other day. She had a brand new pair of black shoes, whose laces her daddy was currently tying because she hadn’t quite gotten the hang of the knot yet.

She was holding her momma’s hand, staring at the school. She had met Mrs. Cheerilee many times since momma always helped out with teaching. She also knew a lot of the kids she would be going to school with. Still, the little girl couldn’t help but feel nervous as she stood there.

She could feel the emotion coming from everyone. Fear, joy, relief, every and any emotion was all around her. Her momma had been teaching her to block out emotions coming from others, but this was a bit much for the young girl. It didn’t help that she could feel her mother’s own nervousness as well. The taste of it made her belly tight. What if she sat next to someone she didn’t like? What if everyone made fun of her dress? Would there be homework on the first day? She knew her letters, but couldn’t spell her name very well yet, though she was trying really hard to figure it out.

If it wasn’t for her daddy’s love and his excitement, she might have been a lot more scared about this whole business. He had almost been bouncing off the walls since he woke up this morning. Normally, he would have been at work by now, but he had wanted to take the whole day off today just for her.

“There you go, honey,” her daddy said, getting to his feet with a grunt. “I double knotted those bad boys, so you should be good all day.”

“Thank you, daddy,” she said, looking down at her feet.

Daddy leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of her head. She smiled, feeling the spike of love from him.

Ambrosia felt her momma place a hand on her shoulder. “Now, I have your thermos in the pocket right there in case you’re thirsty, but make sure you ask Mrs. Cheerilee if it’s okay to drink first, alright?”

“Alright mommy.”

“Your father and I will be here at noon to pick you up. We’ll go and get some pizza with Aunt Cadence and Twilight after.”

The little girl brightened at that. She hoped Mrs. Cake and the twins came too. Pound and Pumpkin always loved playing with her.

“Okay mommy.”

Mrs. Cheerilee began to ring a bell, gesturing for all the children to begin making their way into the school. Some foals rushed toward the doors, while others had to be nudged along by their parents.

Anon picked up his little girl, kissing all over her face until she was in a fit of giggles. “Have fun today, squirt. You’ll do great.”

She hugged him as hard as she could. “I love you, daddy.”

“Love you too, sweetie.”

He placed her down onto the ground. Chrysalis quickly knelt down in front of her, fixing her hair and straightening out her dress. Ambrosia wanted to hug her, but she had a feeling if she did her mother would snatch her up and run all the way back to their house.

“You be good. I’ll ask Mrs. Cheerilee if you were acting up,” She said sternly. “Eat all of the lunch I packed for you as well. Even the crust on your sandwich.”

“I will, mommy. I love you.”

Ambrosia felt her mother’s love erupt through her nervousness in a blink of an eye. The old queen let out a sniffle, pulling her into a hug. Her daughter hugged her back, sniffling as well. Off in the distance, Mrs. Cheerilee rang her bell again.

With great effort, Chrysalis broke their hug, wiping tears from her cheeks. “Do your best, and remember; this is just the first step in creating your empire.”

Ambrosia nodded. “First I need to learn, then I get followers, then I start getting power and stuff, right mommy?”

“Right dear. Remember to be ruthless to any enemies you make but generous to anyone you wish to befriend. I expect you to be ruling the entire school with an iron fist within the week. Is that understood?”

“Yes mommy. I’ll make you proud!”

With a salute, Ambrosia spun around on her heel and raced down the path toward the school. She ran awkwardly like only a child could, and would have fallen face first into the dirt more than once if Chrysalis had not reached out with her magic to balance her. Cheerilee’s smile widened when she saw the girl coming closer, and placed a hoof on her back as she began leading her inside.

Both Chrysalis and Anon watched their little girl disappear into the school. The Queen was blinking away tears, her lower lip quivering. She had had thousands of children, but seeing her Ambrosia growing up like this was almost too much to bear. She could remember pulling her out of her pod like it was yesterday, not as a Changeling but a little hyoo-man baby girl, as beautiful and perfect as anything. In the blink of an eye she went from diapers and saying momma to elementary school. What’s next? Her talking to boys so she could stuff them into love extracting pods? Or, even worse, her wanting a piercing?

Anon reached into his back pocket for a handkerchief and handed it to her. “She’ll be in college before we know it,” he said.

“Shut your mouth,” Chrysalis said. “She’s going to be little and sweet forever.”

“I--”

“Forever.”

“...Yes, dear.”

Anon wrapped an arm around the Queen’s shoulder, pulling her against him. Chrysalis let out a shaky sigh, rubbing her cheek against his throat. Both of them could just hear the children saying the Equestrian National Anthem from inside the school.

“Anon?”

“Yes dear?”

“I want another one as soon as possible.”

The human couldn’t help but laugh. He scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her back to their home. It was a long way, but he didn’t mind.

“Of course, darling. I’ll give you as many as you want.”

He planted a kiss on her cheek. She smiled.